Mexican National Pleads Guilty to CJNG Tunnel Smuggling Ring in El Paso

Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 29, admitted to conspiring to move migrants through a secret tunnel from Ciudad Juarez to El Paso, charging up to $30,000 per crossing.

El Paso Tunnel Smuggling Case: Mexican National Admits Role in CJNG-Linked Operation

A Mexican national pleaded guilty in El Paso, Texas, to conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States through an underground tunnel running beneath the southern border, DOJ Justice News reports. Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 29, entered his plea in federal court, admitting to coordinating with others to move undocumented individuals from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, into Texas.

The tunnel was discovered by federal law enforcement in January 2025. Intercepted phone calls captured Davalos-Lopez discussing the operation in detail, including the number of migrants crossing and the fees charged — amounts reaching upwards of $30,000 per person for use of the passage.

Cartel Ties and a Multi-Agency Investigation

Federal prosecutors identified the tunnel as a construction of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a group the U.S. government has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. In addition to human smuggling, the network allegedly moved drugs northward and funneled firearms south into Mexico, where those weapons were then used to facilitate further cartel operations.

"This defendant demonstrated a total disregard for our nation's laws by conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States through a tunnel that ran from Mexico under the U.S. border into Texas," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "This shows that smugglers will stop at nothing to move illegal aliens into the United States for profit."

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas described the defendants as central figures in a criminal enterprise with consequences on both sides of the border. "The convictions secured in this case are just another nail in the coffin for these transnational criminal organizations and foreign terrorist organizations," Simmons said.

Acting Special Agent in Charge Coult W. Markovsky of the FBI's El Paso Field Office noted that the tunnel's discovery and the subsequent guilty pleas reflected sustained pressure on CJNG's cross-border infrastructure. "The discovery of this tunnel and the subsequent convictions related to those who were part of this operation underscores the FBI's and our partners' never-ending commitment to dismantle trafficking by the foreign terrorist organization, CJNG," Markovsky said.

Co-Defendants Also Pleaded Guilty

Davalos-Lopez was indicted alongside others in April 2025. The Government of Mexico subsequently transferred him to the United States under its National Security Law.

Two co-defendants have already entered guilty pleas. Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 40, of Mexico, pleaded guilty on August 27 to conspiring to provide material support to CJNG by trafficking firearms from the United States into Mexico for delivery to cartel members. Gustavo Castro-Medina, 29, also of Mexico, admitted to acting as an intermediary in a $3,000 wire transfer to an undercover agent intended for the purchase of firearms for unlawful export.

ATF Director Rob Cekada, whose agency was among the investigators, said the case illustrated the agency's focus on violent criminal networks. "Criminals who traffic human beings and firearms are exactly the individuals ATF works every day to stop," Cekada said. "If you fuel cartel violence or exploit our communities, we will find you and hold you accountable."

DEA Special Agent in Charge Robert "Eric" Castañeda of the El Paso Division said the case demonstrated the limits of CJNG's concealment tactics. "No matter the concealment tactics, smuggling methods, or illicit finance networks used, DEA will track down those responsible and ensure they face justice," Castañeda said.

HSI Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon added that exploitation of migrants for profit while simultaneously supporting a terrorist organization would continue to draw aggressive federal response. "There is no place in our communities for individuals who profit from human suffering or knowingly strengthen terrorist organizations," Condon said.

Sentencing Pending

Davalos-Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring aliens into the United States. No sentencing date has been set. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, with the final sentence to be determined by a federal district court judge in accordance with U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The investigation was led by the FBI, ATF, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso, with support from U.S. Border Patrol, ATF legal attachés in Mexico City, Mexico's Fiscalía General de la República Organized Crime Unit, HSI's Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., and CBP's National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force.

Source: DOJ Justice News