Human Smuggling Ringleader Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

SAN DIEGO—The leader of a “prolific” human smuggling organization that also employed his adult children and brought hundreds of migrants into the United States was sentenced April 12 to five years in prison. San Diego federal prosecutors say Luis Antonio Mendez-Brahan, 59, ran a smuggling organization for nearly a decade that charged migrants between $6,000 and $8,000 each to be smuggled across the border. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said financial transactions conducted by Mr. Mendez-Brahan’s children in the United States were tracked to money service businesses in Tijuana, which led law enforcement to Mr. Mendez-Brahan. Three of his children pleaded guilty and have been sentenced for roles in their father’s smuggling operation....