El Paso Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Cartel-Linked Smuggling Tunnel
EL PASO, Texas — A 20-year-old El Paso man has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a cross-border tunnel smuggling operation tied to an international cartel.
Oscar Ivan Carrillo was sentenced on January 28 to 33 months in federal prison for conspiring to use a border tunnel to smuggle undocumented migrants from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, into El Paso, Texas.
The investigation, led by ICE Homeland Security Investigations El Paso and the U.S. Border Patrol, began in 2024 after authorities uncovered intelligence about a sophisticated tunnel allegedly constructed by La Nueva Empresa, an international drug cartel.
According to investigators, the tunnel ran beneath the Rio Grande and was equipped with electricity and ventilation systems. Agents determined that Carrillo and his co-conspirators used handheld tools to connect existing storm drains to the tunnel, allowing migrants to move through the underground passage into the United States.
At the U.S. exit point, authorities said a modified box truck outfitted with a trap door was used to transport migrants from the storm drain system to another location, helping conceal the operation.
Carrillo was indicted on April 2, 2025, arrested in June, and later pleaded guilty on November 4 to conspiracy to use a border tunnel. The investigation also resulted in additional arrests and the seizure of tools and materials used to construct and maintain the tunnel.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas as part of Joint Task Force Alpha, a collaboration between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security focused on dismantling human smuggling and trafficking networks operated by cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
“This case highlights the relentless efforts of our special agents and U.S. Border Patrol partners to disrupt dangerous smuggling operations,” said HSI El Paso Acting Special Agent in Charge Taekuk Cho. “Criminals continue to innovate and exploit our border for profit, putting lives at risk and undermining our nation’s security.”
