Leader of San Antonio-based human smuggling operation sentenced to 30 years in federal prison

Roberto Galeas-Mejia was found guilty on three counts in July 2022

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DEL RIO, Texas – A federal judge in Del Rio sentenced a man this week behind a human smuggling operation headquartered in San Antonio.

The Department of Justice said Roberto Galeas-Mejia will spend 360 months — or 30 years — in a federal prison.

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The 48-year-old was convicted on three charges inside a courtroom in July 2022: conspiracy to transport illegal migrants, conspiracy to harbor illegal migrants and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

The operation was lucrative for Galeas-Mejia, who used the money to rent stash houses, buy cars and funnel through conspirators’ bank accounts, among other uses.

Documents showed that Galeas-Mejia kept a watchful eye on the operation’s transportation and harboring of migrants. The organization was also a family affair for Galeas-Mejia, the DOJ said.

Galeas-Mejia’s wife, 43-year-old Eva Maria; his two sisters, 52-year-old Norma and 48-year-old Sandra; and his stepdaughter, 25-year-old Lisa Marie Ortega, were all sentenced as co-conspirators earlier this year.

Eva Maria Galeas’ 15-year prison sentence is the longest among the four women. Galeas’ stepdaughter, Lisa Marie Ortega, was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Galeas-Mejia’s sisters Sandra (seven years) and Norma (six years and six months) will serve under 100 months in federal prison.

Homeland Security Investigations said it prevented multiple smuggling loads from reaching their destination and arrested numerous co-conspirators and undocumented noncitizens related to this case.

On top of the prison sentence and the forfeiture of $603,593 found in a safe in his home, the judge ordered Roberto Galeas-Mejia to pay a judgment worth just north of $1 million ($1,008,000).

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About the Author
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Nate Kotisso joined KSAT as a digital journalist in 2024. He previously worked as a newspaper reporter in the Rio Grande Valley for more than two years and spent nearly three years as a digital producer at the CBS station in Oklahoma City.

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