El Pasoan pleads guilty to running major human smuggling operation

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – A 42-year-old El Paso man at the center of a human smuggling and money laundering operation has pleaded guilty to federal charges, officials announced this week.

Jose Luis Avalos, identified by prosecutors as the ringleader of the smuggling scheme, admitted in court to conspiring to transport and harbor undocumented immigrants across New Mexico, as well as laundering the illicit proceeds of the operation. Avalos is the final defendant to plead guilty in the case, which has resulted in convictions for nine individuals.

In 2023, ABC-7 reported that federal investigators in El Paso broke up a human smuggling operation, leading to the indictment of nine individuals involved. The accused leader, Avalos, along with his wife Kristina Hardin, was arrested on June 1, 2023. Other arrests included Avalos's brother and several associates from the region, with one individual still at large. The investigation was ongoing, and further details were being sought from officials.