Mexican man sentenced to 1 year in prison for human smuggling, assaulting Border Patrol agent

PHOENIX — A Mexican man was recently sentenced to over a year in prison for smuggling undocumented migrants and assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent in early 2025, authorities said.

Efrain Pacheco-Ovalles, 30, worked as a scout for a transnational criminal organization in January and February of last year, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

He pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer and conspiring to transport undocumented migrants for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain.

What did human smuggler who assaulted Border Patrol agent do?

The sentencing stemmed from a series of crimes he committed on Feb. 4, 2025, on Nine Mile Mountain, which is in a remote area of the Tohono O’odham Indian Nation. Agents found him hiding under a tree, after which he fled down the mountain.

Although an agent pursued him, repeatedly saying he was a Border Patrol agent in both English and Spanish, Pacheco-Ovalles continued to flee.

After the agent chased him downhill for around a mile and a half, Pacheco-Ovalles elbowed his pursuer, resulting in a black eye, prosecutors said.

He was sentenced last week to 21 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, prosecutors said.

What was the human smuggler doing for the criminal group?

The case is part of Take Back America, whose purpose is to totally eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office described Pacheco-Ovalles’ duties as including:

• Monitoring smuggling routes from remote mountain tops
• Watching for law enforcement using binoculars
• Communicating with coconspirators by radio or cellphone

Scouts are trusted members of these criminal organizations because they ensure that criminal noncitizens and narcotics move through remote areas without being apprehended, prosecutors said.

Pacheco-Ovalles admitted he was expected to scout for three months and be paid $40 per person he helped smuggle who made it to the Phoenix area.

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