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Crime

El Paso smuggler pleads guilty in case of 40 migrants lost at sea

By: Claire Reynolds Date:

A Colombian national pleaded guilty in El Paso on Monday in a human smuggling conspiracy that left 40 migrants and two boat captains missing at sea. The plea marks a conviction in a case federal authorities have tied to a major smuggling operation running migrants from Colombia to the United States.

Luis Enrique Linero Pinto, also known as “El Calvo,” 41, of Colombia, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in El Paso, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit immigrant smuggling and placing lives in jeopardy.

A sentencing date has not yet been set. Linero Pinto faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

“Linero Pinto played a critical role in a prolific human smuggling conspiracy that used corruption and illicit means of transport to move aliens from Colombia to the United States for money,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “During the transport, dozens of people disappeared at sea, never to be seen or heard from again. This conviction serves as the latest example of how Joint Task Force Alpha continues to lead the Department’s efforts to aggressively crack down on transnational human smuggling and trafficking networks that threaten the lives of those transported, as well as the security of our citizens and border.”

Justin R. Simmons, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, said: “While we grieve the lives lost due to this defendant’s conduct, it is right and good to applaud the tireless work of our special agents and prosecutors that secured this conviction and to highlight yet another successful international partnership.

“Human smuggling organizations, by definition, engage in cross-border operations, so they can only be dismantled through cross-border partnerships. By cooperating in this way, we ensure that our border is secure, which is a key component in making certain that this country is one where Americans cannot merely survive, but thrive,” Simmons added.

According to the indictment and court documents, Linero Pinto participated in a conspiracy to unlawfully smuggle migrants, transporting them through Central America and Mexico to the United States. Linero Pinto advised the migrants on how to get to San Andres Island, Colombia, where he personally received them, arranged for their accommodation, and brought them to boats that transported them to Nicaragua so they could illegally enter the United States, the Justice Department said.

Linero Pinto bribed members of the Colombian Navy to acquire real-time intelligence about the position of Navy patrol vessels located between San Andres Island and Nicaragua, enabling the boats to avoid detection, the Justice Department said.

On Oct. 21, 2023, a boat carrying approximately 40 migrants and two boat captains disappeared on its way to Nicaragua after leaving San Andreas Island. Linero Pinto has admitted his role in smuggling the immigrants on that boat.

“Human smuggling organizations put profit over human life, exploiting vulnerable people and placing them in dangerous, often deadly conditions,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso. “HSI’s mission is to protect the American people and safeguard our borders by dismantling the transnational criminal networks that threaten public safety and national security. This guilty plea reflects HSI’s commitment to working with our domestic and international partners to identify, investigate and bring to justice those who facilitate these dangerous smuggling schemes.”

Linero Pinto was charged in October 2024 for conspiring to encourage and induce undocumented immigrants to come to, enter, and reside in the United States. He was arrested in Colombia in December 2024 at the request of the U.S. government. Linero Pinto’s extradition followed extensive coordination and cooperation between U.S. and Colombian law enforcement authorities, and he made his initial appearance in federal court in El Paso in December 2025, the Justice Department said.

HSI led the investigation, with assistance from its McAllen, El Paso, and Cartagena field offices. The investigation and indictment were coordinated and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Justice Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

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Claire Reynolds

Reporter at DukeCityWire, covering the city beat.

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Claire Reynolds-