SAN ANTONIO — A Dallas man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a human smuggling operation that included stealing tractor-trailers, according to federal officials.
A news release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas states that Sedrick Zelitis Smith, 47, was sentenced on May 30 in San Antonio to 84 months in prison for conspiracy to transport undocumented non-citizens.
According to court documents, Smith was a member of a human smuggling organization. He coordinated the transport of migrants who arrived in Laredo from Mexico, serving as the go-between for organization leadership and load drivers during smuggling events and assisting in the theft and procurement of tractor trailers.
“On multiple occasions, Smith traveled between Dallas, San Antonio and Laredo to assist with smuggling loads,” the news release states. “He also served as a driver for the organization, smuggling migrants from Laredo to San Antonio, using his commercial driver’s license.”
Smith’s arrest was the result of an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations beginning in May 2021. Agents learned that the human smuggling organization had smuggled more than 900 migrants from Laredo to San Antonio inside tractor trailers in at least 19 human smuggling events. The loads ranged from approximately 30 migrants to more than 100 packed into a single trailer.
Nine others have been indicted in the case.
Bryan Adamson, Ronnie Joe Branch, Eliseo Loredo, Rodney Edward Shavers, Mark Algie Holliday, Francisco Arredondo-Colmenero, and Debbie Marie Gonzales await court proceedings.
Fredi Zagala-Servin was sentenced in April to 97 months in prison for conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants.
Norman Lee Walker Jr. was arrested May 21.
“With the rise of human smuggling in recent years, it is absolutely critical that we send a message to criminals throughout all levels of these organizations that their crimes at the expense of vulnerable individuals are serious, they are dangerous, and we are here to readily prosecute,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “I appreciate the dedication of our partners at HSI and our Joint Task Force Alpha initiative. Their efforts have been essential in taking down this HSO and many others. We’ll continue to dismantle these groups and serve justice together.”
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
