A 29-year-old defendant faces up to 10 years in federal prison in an El Paso cross-border smuggling tunnel case, authorities said.
Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 29, was transferred from Mexico to the United States under Mexico’s National Security Law.
In January 2025, federal law enforcement discovered a sophisticated underground tunnel running between Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas.
The passage was being used to smuggle migrants into the United States, authorities said.
Investigators said intercepted phone calls connected Davalos-Lopez to the operation.
During the calls, the defendant allegedly discussed the tunnel, migrant headcounts and crossing fees, according to investigators. Migrants were being charged as much as $30,000 each to enter the country without inspection, authorities said.
Federal investigators said the tunnel was constructed by the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, also known as CJNG.
The passage was allegedly used for a broader criminal operation involving human smuggling, drugs and firearms, federal investigators said.
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In April 2025, Davalos-Lopez and several co-defendants were indicted, court records show.
The case also involved alleged firearms trafficking connected to CJNG, according to investigators.
Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 40, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to CJNG by trafficking firearms from the United States into Mexico for cartel members.
Gustavo Castro-Medina, 29, also of Mexico, pleaded guilty to serving as an intermediary in transferring $3,000 to an undercover agent. The money was intended to purchase firearms for unlawful transport, prosecutors said.
On August 27, 2026, Navarro-Sanchez pleaded guilty in the federal case.
On September 4, 2026, Davalos-Lopez pleaded guilty in El Paso, Texas, to one count of conspiracy to bring migrants into the United States.
The defendant now faces up to 10 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.
A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. A federal judge will determine his sentence after considering federal sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
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