New hires told ‘not to be afraid of success’ in migrant smuggling



by: Julian Resendiz
Posted: Dec 19, 2023 / 02:55 PM CST
Updated: Dec 19, 2023 / 06:10 PM CST




'El Panda’ allegedly ran stash houses, organized transportation of migrants through online chat group



EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – A Horizon City man who allegedly recruited smugglers through a chat group called “Don’t be afraid of success” is facing multiple charges in federal court in El Paso.

Isai Orona was the alleged administrator of the group that included 18 active members.

The participants have been linked to at least five migrant stash houses located by federal agents this past July, August and November in El Paso.

Some of the 250-plus unauthorized non-citizens harbored by the group include Brazilian, Saudi and other Middle Eastern nationals, court records show.

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Orona on Nov. 17 and a grand jury in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas last Wednesday indicted him on charges of conspiracy and transportation of illegal aliens, conspiracy and harboring illegal aliens.

Federal agents learned of the group as they conducted surveillance on a home in the 1100 block of Chito Samaniego Drive in East El Paso where they believed unauthorized migrants were kept. Court records show the agents arrested three migrants who told them of another house where they arrested 21 additional migrants.

During post-arrest interviews, the agents learned the migrants at the first house were members of the private WhatsApp group called Sin Miedo al Exito (Don’t be afraid of success) and were told to pick up unauthorized non-citizens and driving them to the residence. Court records show the migrants-turned-smugglers knew their leader only by the moniker of “El Panda.”

One of the smugglers allegedly told agents she was paid $12,000 by El Panda for transporting and housing the migrants and was still owed $19,000. Another smuggler stated he receives information on stash house locations, smuggling jobs and served as the “point man” for El Panda

Court records show investigators identified El Panda as Isai Orona and documented two previous encounters with the suspect as they went about their job of investigating migrant smuggling activity.

The first encounter took place last April 13 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Orona allegedly admitted transporting unauthorized non-citizens from El Paso to Albuquerque, N.M., for profit. He was arrested but later released and not prosecuted.

Court records show border agents responding to alleged migrant smuggling activity at a residence on the 200 block of Granada Avenue in El Paso also met with Orona last July 18. The agents left after Orona explained the home operated as a legitimate Airbnb and no migrants were found.

Court records show a U.S. magistrate judge in El Paso recently allowed Orona to post bond.


https://www.borderreport.com/immigra...ant-smuggling/