Last week, a grand jury indicted Edgar Guadalupe Jimenez-Aguilar, an undocumented immigrant residing in Phoenix, on charges of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Border Patrol identified Jimenez-Aguilar as a load driver who transported individuals from desert areas in Pinal and Pima Counties to Phoenix. He also operated a stash house in Phoenix for harboring these individuals and recruited others to serve as load drivers.
From late 2024 through January 2025, agents interviewed other arrested load drivers who admitted recruitment by Jimenez-Aguilar. Surveillance was conducted on him and his stash house. On October 3, 2024, officers from the Tohono O’odham Police Department stopped a vehicle carrying four passengers unlawfully present in the U.S., including two hidden in the trunk.
The driver of this vehicle had been recruited via social media and participated in multiple smuggling operations, having visited Jimenez-Aguilar’s stash house to unload individuals. On January 28, 2025, agents stopped a Jeep Grand Cherokee in Mesa driven by Jimenez-Aguilar. Inside the vehicle were approximately 297 grams of black tar heroin.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute heroin carries a minimum penalty of five years up to 40 years in prison and a fine up to $5 million. The conspiracy to transport illegal aliens charge carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
An indictment is merely an accusation that does not imply guilt. An individual remains innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt by evidence presented to a jury.
The investigation involved several agencies: United States Border Patrol's Alien Smuggling Unit – Tucson Sector, Homeland Security Investigations – Casa Grande, Pinal and Pima County Sheriff Departments, Tohono O’odham Police Department, and Arizona Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Kubota is prosecuting the case.