A South Texas man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for his role in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of four people.
Jose Refugio Torres, 28, from Roma, Texas, pleaded guilty on September 27, 2023, and was sentenced on February 5, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera. In addition to his prison term, Torres will serve one year of supervised release.
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The charges stem from a failed smuggling attempt in March 2019, when a vehicle carrying undocumented immigrants rolled over in Duval County, Texas, causing four fatalities and injuring six others.
The victims included citizens of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ecuador, as well as a 17-year-old boy from Ecuador.
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The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in collaboration with several agencies, including U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and various local law enforcement agencies.
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