Evergreen Reporter

A Salvadoran national has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his involvement in a human smuggling operation that resulted in fatalities. The sentencing took place in Del Rio, Texas, and pertains to an incident from March 2021.

Court documents reveal that Juan Alonso Barrientos-Quintanilla, aged 23, was among 12 individuals who fled from one of two vehicles involved in the failed smuggling attempt on Highway 277. The other vehicle, driven by Sebastian Tovar, crashed and led to the deaths of eight out of nine passengers.

U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered the second vehicle after the crash and attempted a traffic stop. This resulted in Barrientos-Quintanilla and others fleeing on foot before being apprehended. Initially claiming to be a passenger, Barrientos-Quintanilla later confessed to being the driver responsible for transporting illegal aliens. He pleaded guilty on July 23, 2023, to aiding and abetting illegal alien transportation resulting in death.

The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Banister prosecuted the case as part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations.