Mexican National Known As 'Monstro' Indicted In Texas Over Alleged Human Smuggling

Manuel Alejandro Melendez-Cereceres, a Mexican national known as "Monstro" (monster but written with a typo), was indicted this week with three counts of human smuggling.

Citing the U.S. Attorney's Office with the Western District of Texas, Border Report noted that the man was a facilitator for human smuggling enterprises.

His role entailed recruiting and coordinating drivers and vehicles to pick up smuggled migrants and take them to stashing locations where they would then be picked up by another driver, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Several such episodes have made headlines over the past weeks. Last week, a Texas man accused of smuggling thousands of migrants into the U.S. was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Concretely, Enil Edil Mejia Zuniga was sentenced for his role in a smuggling ring that spanned three continents.

Also known as "Chino," Mejia Zuniga worked with a Pakistani smuggler based in Brazil who brought in people from South America and Central and South Asia. They were then taken to Mexico and smuggled into the U.S: through Eagle Pass, Texas.

Clients paid between $6,500 and $12,000 each, and Mejia Zuniga got some $3,000 for every person who made it across the border and $3,000 more for those who got to San Antonio, according to federal officials.

The ring also was accused of supervising homes in Monterrey and Piedras Negras, in Mexico, where migrants were kept while waiting to be smuggled.

Mejia Zuniga entered a plea agreement in 2023 after being confronted with witness testimonies, wire transfer records, client ledgers and photos.

Earlier in June, a truck driver faced federal smuggling charges after being caught driving over a dozen migrants in New Mexico.

The incident took place in late June, when the driver was stopped by agents and searched the vehicles, finding a migrant hiding in the cabin and 12 more in a compartment under the flatbed trailer.