TUCSON, Ariz. — A jury in southern Arizona has convicted a man of multiple human smuggling offenses after one of the migrants he attempted to bring into the U.S. ended up dying near the Huachuca Mountains.
Jesus Ernesto Dessens-Romero, 27, was found guilty this week in Tucson of bringing undocumented migrants into the U.S. for profit. The jury additionally determined the defendant had put the safety of migrants at risk during his smuggling expeditions, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of Arizona.
In February 2021, Dessens-Romero had led a group of three sisters and a 16-year-old from Mexico on a journey across the U.S. border. The defendant guided the group through the rugged mountains with limited supplies.
After suffering through the cold weather, one of the sisters became sick and was unable to continue the journey. Dessens-Romero told the group that if they left behind the 23-year-old woman, she would likely be found since they were close enough to a roadway.
The defendant then led the rest of the group to Sierra Vista where they were picked up and taken further into the U.S.
The 23-year-old woman's family later reported her missing and law enforcement officials began searching the Fort Huachuca area. By November 2021, members of the nonprofit SOS Búsqueda y Rescate located skeletal remains in a remote area of the mountains that were identified as belonging to the missing woman through dental records.
Dessens-Romero was arrested in June 2021.
Prosecutors said the maximum prison sentence for each smuggling conviction is 20 years. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced in February 2024.
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