Roma smugglers sentenced to federal prison terms

Two smugglers operating in Roma were sentenced to prison on Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton sentenced Allan Eduardo Mar-Uballe, 32, to a little more than three years in prison for smuggling 18 people in the country illegally while Felipe Montez, 32, was sentenced to nearly four years by Chief U.S. District Randy Crane for smuggling seven people in the country illegally, court records show.

Mar-Uballe was arrested on Oct. 24, 2024 after he ran from Border Patrol agents with 18 people, including two unaccompanied children, in the country illegally before he crashed into a ditch.

Several people in the Ford Expedition that had the back seats and seatbelts removed sustained injuries, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

“Authorities attempted to stop the vehicle, but Mar-Uballe evaded at a high rate of speed and drove erratically through the streets of Roma, disregarding stop signs and other vehicles, before crashing into a ditch,” the release stated.

The people he was smuggling were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.

He pleaded guilty on Dec. 12, 2024.

Montez was arrested on Dec. 4, 2024 after he ran from law enforcement near Escobares after picking up seven people who entered the country illegally and ran from the Rio Grande toward his vehicle.

“Upon the sight of law enforcement, they all attempted to flee, but authorities apprehended them,” the release stated.

Further investigation into Montez revealed he was involved in four prior smuggling events involving people in the country illegally in the Roma area. Each event involved attempts to evade law enforcement, according to a release.

In all, Montez was involved in attempting to smuggle 41 people through the five events.

Both men remain in federal custody pending transfer to the Bureau of Prisons.

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