Texas Border Business
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas
McALLEN, Texas – A 37-year-old Alamo resident has been ordered to federal prison for transporting illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Margarito Llanes pleaded guilty April 22.
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Llanes to serve 52 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about the risk Llanes created by engaging in a lengthy, high-speed pursuit and how his conduct was consistent with his violent criminal conduct, which includes indecency with a child, robbery and alien smuggling. In handing down the sentence Judge Crane also emphasized the seriousness of Llanes’ conduct and how everyone is lucky the outcome wasn’t more dire.
On Jan. 18, a group of illegal aliens loaded into a vehicle near the Rio Grande River in Granjeno. Llanes was driving. As law enforcement approached, he sped away and engaged in a 1.5-mile pursuit with speeds reaching over 70 mph over unpaved roads.
The chase ended when he crashed the vehicle into a tree, seriously injuring nearly all eight passengers.
Llanes admitted to driving the vehicle, noting he was lucky he did not die from the crash.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Border Patrol conducted the investigation with the assistance of Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Fry prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Updated July 1, 2025
