A federal judge has sentenced a Honduran national to six years in prison after the defendant pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, Eliseo Henriquez-Joya, aka Cheyo, is expected to face removal proceedings after his prison sentence.
The court enhanced Henriquez-Joya’s sentence after hearing evidence that he was a leader of the organization and coordinated the transportation of the 188 illegal aliens.
When Henriquez-Joya asked the court for forgiveness, Judge David Morales said he should seek forgiveness from those he transported in dangerous conditions, describing it as “a wonder nobody died.”
The investigation tied Henriquez-Joya to multiple smuggling attempts dating back to October 2024. In one December 2024 incident, a driver arrested while attempting to transport 48 illegal aliens told investigators that a person known as “Cheyo” had recruited him to drive the box truck. Investigators later determined the phone numbers associated with “Cheyo” belonged to Henriquez-Joya.
Investigators also linked Henriquez-Joya to three previous failed smuggling attempts at the Kingsville and Falfurrias Immigration Checkpoints between October and December 2024. Each involved a commercial vehicle outfitted with a false-wall compartment, and a total of 77 illegal aliens were arrested during the three attempts.
The organization used commercial box trucks, refrigerated trucks, and tractor-trailers equipped with hidden compartments and false walls to conceal people being transported. Federal authorities said some compartments were sealed, had little to no ventilation or air conditioning, and provided no means of escape.
Investigators also recovered messages and location data from cell phones that connected Henriquez-Joya to additional smuggling attempts. In one October 2025 incident, messages showed him coordinating the number of people being transported, monitoring their progress through a checkpoint, and arranging payment for a driver.
Henriquez-Joya’s case comes as federal prosecutors continue to bring human smuggling charges as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative focused on using federal resources to combat illegal immigration, cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and violent crime.
The Southern District of Texas has continued to file dozens of new human-smuggling charges as part of its broader border-enforcement efforts. From September 4–10, federal prosecutors charged 21 people in human-smuggling cases, including nine illegal aliens. During the following week, another 29 people were charged with human smuggling, including 20 illegal aliens.
The investigation of Henriquez-Joya was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
