El Paso man sentenced to 24 years in prison after holding migrants hostage and dealing fentanyl
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- 39-year-old Simon Roberto Alvarado has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for allegedly holding migrants hostage at an apartment and for distributing fentanyl. Alvarado was sentenced to 292 months for "harboring migrants and taking them hostage, as well as conspiracy with intent to distribute fentanyl after a prior felony drug conviction," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Court documents say Alvarado conspired with 30-year-old Juan Carlos Calzada, and 26-year-old Mexican citizen Janeth Nicole Magallanes to hold 6 migrants from Honduras and Guatemala hostage in an apartment, and threatened them with injury or death if their families did not pay ransom.
The Office says Magallanes was arrested after FBI agents scoped out the area on January 5th, 2021. That's when agents uncovered 6 migrants and several weapons from Alvarado's residence. Upon further investigation, agents dove into Alvarado's phone and learned Alvarado and others trafficked more than 400 grams of fentanyl through the Western District of Texas.
Calzada was sentenced on February 14th, 2024 to 78 months (6 years, 2 months) in federal prison on one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking. Magallanes was sentenced on February 20th, 2024 to 120 months (10 years) for one count of hostage taking.
