Third member of smuggling scheme found guilty

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A federal jury has convicted a 49-year-old Cuban national for conspiring to unlawfully transport non-U.S. citizens, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

The jury deliberated for less than one hour before finding Deivis Reinaldo Rodriguez-Ramirez guilty following a two-day trial.

The jury heard evidence that Rodriguez-Ramirez was part of a group of three men conspiring to conceal undocumented individuals inside a tractor-trailer.

On Aug. 21, 2023, Daikiel Perdomo-Castro drove the tractor-trailer into the Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias with no visible occupants. There, authorities asked Perdomo-Castro to drive the vehicle through an X-ray inspection.   

Law enforcement discovered Rodriguez-Ramirez, who had moved into the passenger seat, and eight individuals illegally present and attempting to hide in the sleeper compartment of the tractor. A third co-conspirator, Macdiel Labrada-Martin, was also found in the sleeper compartment.  

During the trial, the defense attempted to convince the jury that even though Rodriguez-Ramirez was in the tractor with the other two-conspirators and the eight undocumented aliens, he had no part in the offense. They did not believe those claims and found Rodriguez-Ramirez guilty as charged.

Perdomo-Castro, 40, and Labrada-Martin, 32, both of Louisville, Kentucky, previously pleaded guilty and received sentences of nine and 15 months in federal prison, respectively.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales-Ramos presided over the trial and set sentencing for Dec. 4. At that time, Rodriguez-Ramirez faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.  

He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Young Burkett and Ashley Martin are prosecuting the case.