EVERETT — A man arrested in Everett in May 2024 was sentenced Monday by a U.S. District Court judge to 15 months in prison for his role in a human smuggling ring at the northern border.
U.S. District Judge James Robart issued the sentence to a 46-year-old Oregon man, Jesus Ortiz-Plata, for his role as a transporter in the smuggling conspiracy.
“He was a commercial smuggler,” Robart said during Monday’s sentencing hearing. “He wasn’t doing this for altruistic purposes, he did it for cold hard cash.”
On May 23, 2024, federal agents arrested Ortiz-Plata in Everett, who was with three noncitizens at the time. All three had been smuggled into the United States from Canada, a Department of Justice press release said. In addition to Ortiz-Plata, federal prosecutors charged Juan Pablo Cuellar Medina, 35, of Everett, with conspiracy to commit illegal transportation of a noncitizen.
On Oct. 11, 2024, Robart dismissed the case against Cuellar Medina without prejudice.
During their investigation, agents repeatedly encountered a phone number they linked to Ortiz-Plata. A federal judge granted law enforcement permission to track his location.
On the day of his arrest, agents knew Ortiz-Plata was traveling from his home in Oregon to Washington. They tracked him from Seattle to an Everett apartment. He left the apartment with three noncitizen men. Law enforcement took all four of them into custody. Two of the men said they crossed the Canadian border in a freight train car. The other said he walked across the border and someone picked him up once he entered the U.S.
On Nov. 20, 2024, Ortiz-Plata pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport certain noncitizens for profit.
Ortiz-Plata is a Mexican national. Law enforcement will likely deport him once his 15-month prison term is complete, according to the press release.
“These transnational smuggling groups charge thousands of dollars and risk the lives of those trying to reach the U.S.,” said U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman in the release. “We will continue to investigate these smuggling groups to hold members accountable.”
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
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