WASHINGTON—A Mexican national was sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in an international human smuggling operation that brought hundreds of undocumented immigrants into the United States through the Canadian border, the Justice Department announced.
Edgar Sanchez-Solis, 27, was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and five counts of alien smuggling for financial gain.
According to court documents, Sanchez-Solis was a leader of a smuggling organization that operated from December 2022 through April 2025, transporting migrants from Mexico and Central and South America into the United States through Canada.
Once migrants crossed the northern border, the organization arranged for drivers to transport them farther into the United States. Prosecutors said Sanchez-Solis personally participated in smuggling operations and coordinated activities with other members of the organization.
Migrants paid thousands of dollars for transportation into the country. Some subsequently worked for the smuggling organization to repay debts incurred during their journeys, according to federal authorities.
During one incident in May 2023, a van transporting migrants led U.S. Border Patrol agents on a vehicle pursuit. Agents discontinued the chase because of safety concerns, and law enforcement later deployed a tire-deflation device to stop the vehicle after the driver refused to yield.
“Mr. Sanchez-Solis profited off of a scheme that undermined the security of our northern border and placed law enforcement officers and aliens in harm’s way when fleeing law enforcement,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Three other Mexican nationals were charged in connection with the operation.
Ignacio Diaz-Perez, 37, and Samuel Diaz-Perez, 27, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy and six counts of alien smuggling for financial gain. Salvador Diaz-Diaz, 34, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and five counts of alien smuggling for financial gain.
All three are scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 23.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations in Rouses Point, New York, and the U.S. Border Patrol’s Burke Station, with assistance from other federal immigration enforcement units.
The prosecution was supported by Joint Task Force Alpha, a Justice Department initiative established to investigate and prosecute international human smuggling and trafficking networks operating throughout the Americas.
According to the department, the task force’s investigations have resulted in more than 486 arrests, more than 486 federal convictions and more than 374 significant jail sentences.
The case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Justice Department initiative targeting illegal immigration, transnational criminal organizations and violent crime.