ALBUQUERQUE – Two Mexican nationals were sentenced to federal prison for their roles as foot guides in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the death of a 26-year-old woman who was left behind in the New Mexico desert.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on August 7, 2024, United States Border Patrol agents in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, discovered 13 undocumented noncitizens hiding in the desert near New Mexico State Road 9 after they illegally entered the United States from Mexico. Agents later learned that another individual traveling with the group had been left behind and needed medical attention. When agents responded to the area, agents located 26-year-old Evelyn Esmeralda Villalta-Marquez deceased in the desert. The Office of the Medical Investigator determined Villalta-Marquez’s cause of death was hyperthermia due to environmental heat exposure.
During the investigation, agents determined Gustavo Joachin-Hernandez, 37, a Mexican national who had previously been deported, and Israel Gonzalez-Cruz, 36, a Mexican national illegally present in the United States, acted as foot guides for the group and were responsible for leading 12 undocumented noncitizens for approximately five and a half hours through desert terrain in temperatures reaching approximately 97 degrees. Joachin-Hernandez admitted that Villalta-Marquez struggled to keep up with the group due to the heat, that he assisted her to the pickup location, and that she was still alive but in bad shape when he left her behind to continue with the smuggling operation. Joachin-Hernandez further admitted he had worked as a foot guide for a human smuggling organization since November 2023 and expected to be paid $2,000 Mexican pesos for each illegal alien that he assisted in being successfully smuggled to a stash house.
Joachin-Hernandez and Gonzalez-Cruz pled guilty to conspiracy to transport an illegal alien and were sentenced to 46 months in prison. Upon their release from prison, they will be subject to deportation.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, made the announcement today.
HSI Las Cruces investigated this case with assistance from the United States Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Castellano prosecuted the case.
