Del Rio Jury Convicts Cuban National Alejandro Ortiz‑Mastrapa in Smuggling Conspiracy

A federal jury in Del Rio found Alejandro Ortiz‑Mastrapa, a 31-year-old Cuban national, guilty of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, according to a federal press release dated Feb. 2, 2026 and a social post from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas. The conviction marks a local federal prosecution tied to cross-border smuggling in a district that has seen several high-profile human-smuggling cases in recent years.

Court materials available to this newsroom include a Justice Department excerpt that states, verbatim, “According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Alejandro Ortiz‑Mastrapa, 31, drove from Abilene to Del Rio on Aug. 9, 2025, to”, the sentence in the excerpt is cut off after “to” in the material provided. The federal press release announcing the verdict was dated Feb. 2, 2026. The U.S. Attorney’s Office posted about the conviction on social media and tagged the Del Rio Border Patrol chief; that post registered modest engagement in the available metadata.

Key prosecutorial facts beyond the jury verdict are not yet public in the materials reviewed. The available sources do not identify Ortiz‑Mastrapa’s indictment or arrest dates, list statutory citations in the charging instrument, indicate whether co‑defendants were involved, or report a sentencing date. No sentencing information for Ortiz‑Mastrapa appears in the federal press material supplied. Those gaps leave several procedural questions open, including the schedule for sentencing and the scope of the alleged conspiracy beyond the travel detail shown in the truncated DOJ excerpt.

The Del Rio verdict comes amid a string of separate federal prosecutions across the Western District of Texas and along the southern border that illustrate the Department of Justice’s focus on human-smuggling networks. In a distinct El Paso prosecution, Humberto Yosvany Arriola‑Rivero was sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants, conspiracy to harbor immigrants, and sexual assault of an immigrant; Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman said, in that case, “It’s important to note that Arriola‑Rivero is being held responsible not only for the significant role he played in human smuggling operations but also for his abhorrent decision to further dehumanize and sexually violate one of his victims,” … “This sentence makes it clear to smugglers in El Paso and across the southern border, that if you engage in alien smuggling in our district, you will be held accountable.” Federal and CBP press materials from other districts also recount separate indictments, maritime interceptions, and criminal penalties tied to Title 8 USC Section 1324 in older cases.

For Val Verde County residents, the Ortiz‑Mastrapa conviction underscores how federal criminal enforcement intersects with local public safety and border operations. Trials and prosecutions in Del Rio consume court resources and shape operational priorities for local Border Patrol and federal prosecutors. The conviction may be cited by policymakers and candidates as evidence of enforcement activity; at the same time, the limited public record in this instance highlights the need for transparency about charging decisions and sentencing outcomes.

What comes next is clear procedurally but not yet scheduled publicly: a sentencing hearing must occur if the conviction is sustained, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office should release full charging documents and the unabridged press release for public review. Residents seeking to report suspicious activity may use the CBP tip line listed in federal materials. This newsroom will continue to pursue the full DOJ press release, the federal docket entries for United States v. Alejandro Ortiz‑Mastrapa, and comment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Border Patrol to provide a complete account for Del Rio and Val Verde County readers.