Federal prosecutors said the organization used violence while moving migrants and continued operating even after some participants were imprisoned.
DEL RIO, TX — A federal jury convicted three men in a human smuggling organization that generated more than $5 million and was tied to kidnapping, attempted murder and the killing of Edgar Ponce Campos, federal prosecutors announced Oct. 20.
Israel Ramirez-Perez, Ricardo Rojas Vazquez and David Christopher Ewell were convicted of federal offenses involving the transportation of migrants under dangerous conditions, including charges connected to deaths, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas. Trial evidence described an organization that prosecutors said operated on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border and continued functioning even while some participants were incarcerated.
Ramirez-Perez and Rojas Vazquez were found guilty of conspiracy to transport migrants resulting in death, transporting migrants resulting in death, conspiracy to transport migrants while placing lives in jeopardy and transporting migrants while placing lives in jeopardy. Ewell was convicted of conspiracy to transport migrants resulting in death, transporting migrants resulting in death and conspiracy to transport migrants while placing lives in jeopardy.
Prosecutors identified the network as the Alejandro Santoyo-Guzman alien smuggling organization. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, several defendants continued helping manage the operation after being incarcerated in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Ewell worked as a facilitator with his significant other and co-conspirator, Marcelina Truxillo-Logan, prosecutors said. They communicated with co-defendant Jessica Castillo-Guzman, who handled the organization’s cash flow.
Evidence and testimony showed the smuggling organization generated more than $5 million during the conspiracy, according to federal prosecutors. Rojas Vazquez directed its operations in Mexico and maintained an equal partnership with Santoyo-Guzman, prosecutors said. Ramirez-Perez served as an enforcer for the organization and was responsible for a kidnapping, an attempted murder and a murder, according to evidence presented at trial.
The murder evidence centered on Ponce. Prosecutors said Rojas Vazquez ordered his killing and Ramirez-Perez shot him several times. Afterward, Ramirez-Perez tried to destroy the remains with acid, according to trial evidence. When that attempt failed, prosecutors said he put the body in a vehicle, poured gasoline on it and set the vehicle on fire. The account was presented as evidence during the federal trial.
Trial evidence also showed Ramirez-Perez recorded the burning vehicle, fired shots at it and shared the recording with Santoyo-Guzman, prosecutors said. Federal authorities released an image described as a screenshot from the cellphone video. The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not explain in its announcement what relationship Ponce had to the organization or what prompted the order to kill him.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons said smuggling organizations can continue demanding money from migrants and their relatives after migrants reach the United States, sometimes using threats or extortion. He said such organizations also use homes in U.S. communities to conceal migrants and support their operations. The prosecution was conducted as part of the federal Homeland Security Task Force initiative and involved multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Warsame Galaydh and Carli Tuttle prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the convictions but did not provide sentencing dates in its Oct. 20 release.
Author note: Last updated October 25, 2026.