Man Pleads Guilty To Using Sewer Pipes To Smuggle People Between Mexico And U.S.

CBS Los Angeles

March 22, 2024

A man has pleaded guilty to human smuggling charges after he was observed helping people travel from Mexico to the U.S. through a California sewage pipe, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

Kevin Noe Campos Villa, 20, of Tijuana, Mexico pleaded guilty to a charge of bringing in unauthorized immigrants at a place other than a designated port of entry, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California said in a news release.

In a plea agreement, Campos admitted that he helped seven unauthorized immigrants travel through sewer pipes near the San Ysidro port of entry during heavy rains. The sewer pipes are typically covered with grates that prevent people from using them, which connect the U.S. and Mexico at multiple points, but those grates are removed during periods of heavy rain to allow water to flow without damaging the system.

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