A Riverside man who prosecutors say ran a large-scale migrant smuggling ring that employed drivers instructed to engage in high-speed pursuits from police — including one that led to a fatal San Diego County crash — was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison.
Felipe de Jesus Rosales-Herrera, 38, admitted in a plea agreement that his organization smuggled over 100 undocumented migrants into the United States, with migrants typically charged about $10,000 per person to be brought into the country.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Rosales-Herrera employed foot guides to lead migrants into the U.S. and drivers to transport migrants to stash houses. Those drivers were told to flee if Border Patrol officers tried to pull them over, prosecutors said.
One of those drivers fled from Border Patrol agents on Christmas Day 2021 and crashed into a tree near the Thousand Trails campground, according to prosecutors. Gaudencio Gerardo Luna-Vasquez, 52, was killed in the crash, while two others were hospitalized with critical injuries.