BLAINE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A man who was part of a years-long human smuggling ring over the Blaine border was sentenced in federal court on Monday, Feb. 10.

U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman says 46-year-old Jesus Ortiz-Plata, a Mexican citizen, will spend 15 months in prison for being a transporter in the smuggling conspiracy.

Homeland Security and Border Protection began investigating the operation in July 2023. They found that the smuggling group charged thousands of dollars to transport noncitizens across the northern border, directing them over in freight trains on multiple occasions.

Though Ortiz-Plata was not the leader of the ring, investigators linked him to at least six different cases where he used cell phones to guide illegal immigrants across the border and pick them up.

Ortiz-Plata was arrested in May 2024 after he was caught in Everett with three noncitizens who had been smuggled into the United States from Canada. He pleaded guilty six months later.

The Wahington State Attorney General’s Office says Ortiz-Plata will likely be deported after his time in prison.