Ringleader of Migrant Smuggling Operation Linked to 2021 Fatal Crash Pleads Guilty

A man who prosecutors said ran a large-scale migrant smuggling ring involved in a fatal San Diego County crash pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges.

Felipe de Jesus Rosales-Herrera, 38, of Riverside admitted in a plea agreement that he engaged in a conspiracy as his organization smuggled over 100 undocumented migrants into the U.S. Migrants were typically charged about $10,000 each to be brought into the country.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Rosales-Herrera employed foot guides to lead migrants over the border and drivers to transport migrants to stash houses.

Those drivers were instructed to flee – even to engage in high-speed pursuits – if the Border Patrol or other authorities tried to pull them over, prosecutors alleged.

One of those drivers fled from Border Patrol agents on Christmas Day 2021 and crashed into a tree near the Thousand Trails campground. Gaudencio Gerardo Luna-Vasquez, 52, was killed in the crash, while two others were hospitalized with critical injuries.

The driver, Kevin Antonio Quevedo-Moncada, pleaded guilty and was sentenced last year to four years in federal prison.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Rosales-Herrera and others in the organization continued smuggling people despite knowing of the fatal crash.

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 11.

– City News Service