SAN ANTONIO – A Mexican national has been sentenced to prison in connection with a fatal human smuggling case.
A 24-year-old Mexican national will spend nearly six years in federal prison after prosecutors said he helped smuggle migrants into the United States and then abandoned a man in the South Texas brush, where he later died of heat stroke.
Alejandro Hernandez-Alcudia of Mexico was sentenced to 70 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana following his Nov. 24, 2025, guilty plea, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas. Hernandez-Alcudia is not a U.S. citizen and is expected to face removal proceedings after serving his sentence.
In handing down the sentence, the court noted Hernandez-Alcudia made the deliberate decision to leave the victim behind, resulting in his death.
Investigators said Hernandez-Alcudia had been involved in human smuggling for at least three months as a guide.
Authorities said that on Aug. 1, 2025, they apprehended four people in the country illegally walking through the brush near El Cenizo. Hernandez-Alcudia had helped them cross the Rio Grande by raft earlier that day and then continued guiding them through the brush, authorities said.
According to the migrants, the group ran out of water about five hours before they were found. When one member became ill, Hernandez-Alcudia instructed him to sit and rest but continued leading the others, abandoning him in the brush, authorities said.
When law enforcement approached, Hernandez-Alcudia ordered the group to flee and ran in the opposite direction to avoid apprehension, authorities said.
Authorities later located the deceased man, identified as a 37-year-old Mexican national who died as a result of heat stroke. Records showed temperatures ranged from 93 to 106 degrees during the time the group traveled through the brush.
Prosecutors said Hernandez-Alcudia admitted taking orders from an individual linked to Cartel del Noreste. He also acknowledged being paid to smuggle migrants across the Rio Grande and guide them through the brush.
Hernandez-Alcudia will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility that will be determined in the near future.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer L. Day prosecuted the case.
The arrest is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, according to the release. The case is also supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha, a Justice Department-led effort targeting human smuggling and trafficking tied to cartels and transnational criminal organizations.