March 11, 2025 – LOS INDIOS, TEXAS – Eight individuals have pleaded guilty to their roles in a violent conspiracy aimed at monopolizing the transmigrante forwarding agency industry in the Los Indios, Texas, border region. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that the defendants engaged in a years-long scheme involving price-fixing, extortion, and money laundering, forcing competitors into submission through threats and violence.
According to federal prosecutors, the criminal organization controlled the market by fixing prices and creating a centralized entity known as “the Pool.” The Pool collected and distributed revenues among its members while enforcing strict rules that eliminated competition. Businesses unwilling to comply faced financial penalties and violent retribution.
“The Criminal Division is committed to holding violent criminal organizations accountable in whatever markets in which they operate,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Transnational criminal organizations that use violence to dominate industries will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Details of the Guilty Pleas
The following defendants pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to fix prices and allocate the market under the Sherman Act and one count of conspiracy to monopolize the market:
- Carlos Martinez, also known as “Cuate”
- Pedro Antonio Calvillo Hernandez
- Roberto Garcia Villareal
- Sandra Guerra Medina
- Mireya Miranda
Additionally, Martinez, Calvillo, Villareal, and Carlos Yzaguirre pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion, with Martinez also admitting to direct extortion charges. Martinez was found responsible for at least $9.5 million in extortion payments.
Extortion and Money Laundering
The defendants enforced compliance through intimidation, coercion, and violence, demanding payments from competing businesses. Fees included a mandatory “piso” on each transaction and additional penalties for operating outside of Pool rules.
Martinez and Jose de Jesus Tapia Fernandez also pleaded guilty to laundering proceeds from extortion, using bank accounts controlled by Martinez’s family to conceal illegal earnings. Another defendant, Juan Hector Ramirez Avila, admitted to structuring financial transactions to evade federal reporting requirements.
Forfeitures and Ongoing Investigation
As part of his plea agreement, Martinez has agreed to forfeit four real estate properties and $375,000 in seized cash. Other defendants have agreed to pay fines. Three additional suspects—Rigoberto Brown, Miguel Hipolito Caballero Aupart, and Diego Ceballos-Soto—remain fugitives, and authorities urge anyone with information about their whereabouts to contact the Justice Department.
Legal Consequences
Each count of conspiring to allocate markets and fix prices under the Sherman Act carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Extortion-related charges under the Hobbs Act can result in up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while money laundering convictions carry similar maximum sentences and fines of up to $500,000. Sentences will be determined by a federal judge based on statutory guidelines.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. Prosecutors from the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are also involved in the case.
Anyone with information related to this investigation is urged to contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
