Two Guatemalan nationals have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a kidnapping and human smuggling operation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Isaias David Jose received a 22-month sentence, while Tomas Mateo Gaspar was sentenced to 18 months. Both men will face deportation after serving their sentences.
According to court records, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began investigating the case on March 1, 2025, after receiving a complaint that an undocumented immigrant’s family was being extorted for ransom under threats involving violence and cartel connections. The investigation led agents to a residence in southwest Albuquerque, where they executed a search warrant.
Inside the home, agents found 11 undocumented immigrants from Guatemala, including one unaccompanied minor. Authorities also recovered more than 20 cell phones and a ledger detailing smuggling activity. Victims told investigators that Jose and Gaspar had locked them in rooms, taken away their shoes and phones, and threatened them with violence.
Jose and Gaspar later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced the sentences. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security,” according to the announcement. “Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mysliwiec is prosecuting the case as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
There is no parole in the federal system.
