Source: United States Department of Justice
Luis Enrique Linero Pinto, also known as “El Calvo,” 41, of Colombia, has pleaded guilty in court in El Paso, Texas, today after being extradited from Colombia for his role in a dangerous human smuggling conspiracy that left 40 aliens and two boat captains missing.
“Linero Pinto played a critical role in a prolific human smuggling conspiracy that used corruption and illicit means of transport to move aliens from Colombia to the United States for money,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “During the transport, dozens of people disappeared at sea, never to be seen or heard from again. This conviction serves as the latest example of how Joint Task Force Alpha continues to lead the Department’s efforts to aggressively crack down on transnational human smuggling and trafficking networks that threaten the lives of those transported, as well as the security of our citizens and border.”
“While we grieve the lives lost due to this defendant’s conduct, it is right and good to applaud the tireless work of our special agents and prosecutors that secured this conviction and to highlight yet another successful international partnership,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Human smuggling organizations, by definition, engage in cross-border operations, so they can only be dismantled through cross-border partnerships. By cooperating in this way, we ensure that our border is secure, which is a key component in making certain that this country is one where Americans cannot merely survive, but thrive.”
“Human smuggling organizations put profit over human life, exploiting vulnerable people and placing them in dangerous, often deadly conditions,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso. “HSI’s mission is to protect the American people and safeguard our borders by dismantling the transnational criminal networks that threaten public safety and national security. This guilty plea reflects HSI’s commitment to working with our domestic and international partners to identify, investigate and bring to justice those who facilitate these dangerous smuggling schemes.”
According to the indictment and court documents, Linero Pinto participated in a conspiracy to unlawfully smuggle aliens, transporting them through Central America and Mexico to the United States. Linero Pinto advised the migrants on how to get to San Andres Island, Colombia, where he personally received them, arranged for their accommodation, and brought them to boats that transported them to Nicaragua so they could illegally enter the United States. Linero Pinto bribed members of the Colombian Navy to acquire real-time intelligence about the position of Navy patrol vessels located between San Andres Island and Nicaragua, enabling the boats to avoid detection. On Oct. 21, 2023, a boat carrying approximately 40 aliens and two boat captains disappeared on its way to Nicaragua after leaving San Andreas Island. Linero Pinto has admitted his role in smuggling the aliens on that boat.
Linero Pinto was charged in October 2024 for conspiring to encourage and induce aliens to come to, enter, and reside in the United States. He was arrested in Colombia in December 2024 at the request of the U.S. government. Linero Pinto’s extradition followed extensive coordination and cooperation between U.S. and Colombian law enforcement authorities, and he made his initial appearance in federal court in El Paso in December 2025.
Linero Pinto pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and placing lives in jeopardy. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Linero Pinto faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI led the investigation, with assistance from their McAllen, El Paso, and Cartagena field offices. HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, the Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT), Office of International Affairs (OIA), and Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department thanks Colombian law enforcement officials, who were instrumental in furthering this investigation.
The investigation and indictment were coordinated and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated prosecutors from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other U.S. attorneys’ offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, HSI, CBP, Border Patrol, and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 483 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 436 U.S. convictions; more than 371 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.
Trial Attorneys Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Daria Andryushchenko of the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Luis Acosta for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting 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 TCOs, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.