Cuban national gets 9 years for migrant smuggling, sex assault

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A Cuban national was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to more than nine years in prison (111 months) for conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants, conspiracy to harbor migrants, and sexual assault of a migrant, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Western Texas said.

According to court documents, Humberto Yosvany Arriola-Rivero, 30, assisted in the harboring of undocumented migrants and managed a stash house in El Paso.

He also was an occupant in a vehicle that fled law enforcement that was transporting more than a dozen undocumented migrants in April 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

An investigation revealed that Arriola-Rivero sexually assaulted one of the undocumented migrants at the El Paso stash house, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Arriola-Rivero was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 17, 2023 and was arrested Sept. 7, 2023. He pleaded guilty Aug. 27, 2024.

“It’s important to note that Arriola-Rivero is being held responsible not only for the significant role he played in human smuggling operations, but also for his abhorrent decision to further dehumanize and sexually violate one of his victims,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “This sentence makes it clear to smugglers in El Paso and across the southern border, that if you engage in alien smuggling in our district, you will be held accountable.”

“Justice was served today for a stash house operator who organized the smuggling of hundreds of illegal aliens and sexually assaulted one of them, all while cramming individuals into tractor-trailers in the sweltering Texas heat,” said Jason T. Stevens, ICE Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge for El Paso. “HSI is committed to aggressively targeting human smugglers and smuggling organizations that continuously exploit individuals for profit. We will relentlessly pursue these criminals who prey on vulnerable people, ensuring they are held accountable for their actions.”

Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol.