Arizona man sentenced for Instagram smuggling scheme

TUCSON, Ariz. — A Tempe man has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for his role in an alien smuggling conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Arizona. 

Obiel Anthony Ochoa-Renteria, 21, pled guilty in March and was sentenced in late September for his role in recruiting and coordinating smuggling operations, prosecutors say. 

Ochoa-Renteria was arrested in May 2023 after a traffic stop for speeding by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Border Patrol agents. During the traffic stop, two men in camouflage were found hiding in the trunk of Ochoa-Renteria’s car. 

Prosecutors say the men were Guatemalan and Mexican nationals who were in the country illegally. Ochoa-Renteria admitted that he was aware the men were in the United States illegally, and that he had agreed to transport them for $200 to $300 each.  

The traffic stop came after an investigation was launched in September 2022 into smuggling events being arranged on Instagram. Investigators say an account belonging to Ochoa-Renteria was used multiple times to recruit and coordinate smuggling events between June and September 2022. 

Ochoa-Renteria was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

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