Stash House Operator Sentenced for Human Smuggling Charges in Del Rio

DEL RIO, Texas – A California woman was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 76 months in prison for her role as a stash house operator and facilitator for a human smuggling organization (HSO).

According to court documents Veronica Pech, 57, of Ridgecrest, California, operated several stash houses in Del Rio and facilitated the harboring and transport of undocumented noncitizens. Pech had organized pickups from the brush of many migrants, harbored them at her stash houses, and ultimately arranged for them to be transported into the interior of the U.S. From Jan. 1, 2021, through March 30, 2021, Pech harbored approximately 500 undocumented noncitizens.

As a leader and organizer, Pech was also responsible for the finances of the HSO’s harboring operation in Del Rio, paying the rent of a stash house, paying guides and load drivers, paying for the migrants’ food and drinks, and ensuring funds were appropriated and sent to the organization’s upper leadership.

On March 30, 2021, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Pech and apprehended 35 undocumented migrants she was harboring at her main stash house.  She pleaded guilty in November 2021 to one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens. In addition to the imprisonment, Pech was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

Co-defendant Dakota Leon, 31, who operated as a load driver for the HSO, was sentenced in March 2023 to 46 months for conspiracy to transport aliens.

"Pech ran multiple stash houses and played many key roles in the operation of the organization that, in just three months, smuggled more than 500 migrants through Del Rio.” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “Special thanks to the U.S. Border Patrol criminal investigators for disrupting and dismantling a major human smuggling organization operating from Del Rio to Comanche."

“Not only did these human smugglers conspire to undermine our nation’s immigration laws multiple times for their own profit, but they did so by thinking they would get away with their actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee for the HSI San Antonio Division. “Thanks to the outstanding teamwork between HSI and BP, these smugglers will be spending the next several years behind bars.”

“Consequences are necessary to combat transnational criminal organizations,” said Chief Patrol Agent Robert Danley for the U.S. Border Patrol Del Rio Sector. “I am proud of how our strong law enforcement partnerships made this success possible and brought justice for our community.”

HSI and USBP investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner prosecuted the case.

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