Feds target Snapchat smugglers in wave of arrests – Washington Times

The Snapchat post must have seemed too good to be true: up to $20,000 in quick cash, just for “a few hours of driving.” Authorities say Ramon Moreno-Lopez meant it. He was in the migrant-smuggling business and was looking for drivers to help get the migrants from the border deeper into the U.S., where they would spread out and head to their final destinations. Prosecutors in Arizona last week announced an indictment against Mr. Moreno-Lopez charging him with alien smuggling, part of a broader takedown that has netted nearly two dozen people using social media to sneak in illegal immigrants. Authorities pored over cellphone data and social media accounts to sniff out 22 people, including Mr. Moreno-Lopez, whom they have charged with being Snapchat smugglers. The recruiting ads are particularly successful with minors, who are told they will be released if caught because the feds usually don’t bother making cases against juveniles. “Many of the posts claim drivers can make large sums of money without the risk of being arrested,” the U.S. attorney’s office in Arizona said in announcing the slate of charges. The U.S. attorney declined to say more about what led to the effort against social media smugglers
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