Mexican extradited to U.S. pleads guilty to migrant trafficking

Efraín Zúñiga, a 38-year-old man extradited from Mexico, has pleaded guilty in a Texas court to charges of conspiracy to traffic migrants into the United States. Zúñiga faces up to ten years in prison if convicted.

U.S. authorities allege Zúñiga was part of an international trafficking network that facilitated the illegal entry of thousands of individuals from Asian and Latin American countries between November 2020 and September 2023. According to the Department of Justice, Zúñiga's role involved managing a clandestine safe house for migrants in Monterrey and coordinating their transport to the U.S. using "coyotes," or guides.

The organization reportedly charged between $6,500 and $12,000 per person, amassing financial profits of up to $30 million over three years. Zúñiga was arrested in Mexico in October 2024 at the U.S. government's request and subsequently extradited to face federal charges in Texas. Two associates, Mónica Hernández Palma and Enil Edil Mejía Zuñiga, are also in custody, with Mejía Zuñiga having been sentenced to 120 months in prison.

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The organization charged between $6,500 and $12,000 for each person they brought into the U.S., achieving financial benefits of up to $30 million in three years.