Colombian smuggler pleads guilty in El Paso; responsible for 40 migrants vanishing at sea

On Sep 14, 2026

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A 41-year-old Colombian man pleaded guilty in an El Paso court on Monday for his role in a human smuggling incident that left 40 migrants and two boat captains missing.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Luis Enrique Linero Pinto, aka “El Calvo,” was extradited from Colombia to El Paso, where he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit human smuggling and putting people’s lives in jeopardy, as he would arrange the smuggling of migrants from Colombia to the U.S. via boats.

A sentencing date has not yet been set; however, Linero Pinto faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

According to the indictment and court documents, Linero Pinto participated in a human smuggling operation that would transport migrants through Central America and Mexico to their eventual final destination, the United States.

Linero Pinto would have migrants come to San Andres Island in Colombia, where he personally would receive them and bring them to boats that transported them to Nicaragua so they could illegally enter the U.S.

Linero Pinto would then bribe members of the Colombian Navy so they could tell him in real-time where Navy patrol vessels were between San Andres Island and Nicaragua, to avoid them.

On Oct. 21, 2023, a boat carrying approximately 40 migrants and two boat captains disappeared on its way to Nicaragua after leaving San Andres Island.

Linero Pinto has admitted his role in that smuggling incident.

Linero Pinto was charged in October 2024 for conspiring to encourage and induce migrants to come, enter, and live in America.

Linero Pinto was arrested in Colombia in December 2024 at the request of the U.S. government.

Linero Pinto’s extradition followed extensive coordination and cooperation between U.S. and Colombian law enforcement authorities, and he made his initial appearance in federal court in El Paso in December 2025.

“Linero Pinto played a critical role in a prolific human smuggling conspiracy that used corruption and illicit means of transport to move [migrants] from Colombia to the United States for money,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “During the transport, dozens of people disappeared at sea, never to be seen or heard from again. This conviction serves as the latest example of how Joint Task Force Alpha continues to lead the Department’s efforts to aggressively crack down on transnational human smuggling and trafficking networks that threaten the lives of those transported, as well as the security of our citizens and border.”

“While we grieve the lives lost due to this defendant’s conduct, it is right and good to applaud the tireless work of our special agents and prosecutors that secured this conviction and to highlight yet another successful international partnership,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Human smuggling organizations, by definition, engage in cross-border operations, so they can only be dismantled through cross-border partnerships. By cooperating in this way, we ensure that our border is secure, which is a key component in making certain that this country is one where Americans cannot merely survive, but thrive.”

“Human smuggling organizations put profit over human life, exploiting vulnerable people and placing them in dangerous, often deadly conditions,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso. “HSI’s mission is to protect the American people and safeguard our borders by dismantling the transnational criminal networks that threaten public safety and national security. This guilty plea reflects HSI’s commitment to working with our domestic and international partners to identify, investigate and bring to justice those who facilitate these dangerous smuggling schemes.”

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