Houston human smuggling leader gets 41 months for stash house with nearly 100 people inside

HOUSTON - Five people have been sentenced for their involvement in the Houston stash house discovery in April 2021 with nearly 100 illegal migrants found inside.

Henry Licona-Larious, 34, is the apparent leader of the conspiracy and pleaded guilty on May 24, 2022. Licona-Larious, along with the four others involved, are non-U.S. citizens and were residing in Houston illegally.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison ordered Licona-Larious to 41 months in federal prison. Officials say since he is not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings after he is released.

According to the US Attorney's Office, the court heard evidence that detailed the inhumane conditions the migrants faced and how Licona-Larious was connected to another stash house in December 2020. When they served the sentence, the court considered the seriousness of the offense and Licona-Larios’s verbal and physical mistreatment of those in the home.

Investigators were led to a home on Chessington Drive in 2021 in southwest Houston where authorities found 97 illegal migrants being held in two rooms inside the home. The rooms were said to have deadbolts on the doors facing the outside which prevented them from leaving.

All of the male individuals found in the home were in their undergarments, records say and one was even told if the money was not paid, he would be put in "4 pieces of wood."

5 arrested following discovery of over 90 people found inside a Houston home

**EDITORS NOTE: This video is from the report we did in May 2021. FOX 26 Reporter Matthew Seedorff has more as arrests have been made following the massive alleged human smuggling discovery in Houston.

Licona-Larious was not the only one involved in the smuggling case. Four other people also pleaded guilty to their roles and were previously sentenced.

The other four individuals were Marina Garcia-Diaz, 24, from San Miguel, El Salvador, who was sentenced to 27 months as well as Marcelo Garcia-Palacios, 23, from Oaxaca, Mexico. Kevin Licona-Lopez, 27, from Santa Barbara, Honduras, and Marco Baca-Perez, 22, from Michoacan, Mexico were ordered to 30 months.

All four are also expected to face removal proceedings after they are released.

"You cannot trust a human smuggler. Giving them money will put your life in danger," said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. "These five people preyed on the desperation of foreign nationals hoping to get into the country. This sentence makes it clear - we will not allow the victimization of people for profit."

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Officials say the investigation began on April 30, 2021, when authorities learned about a kidnapping and a woman reported she had paid several thousand dollars for her brother to be smuggled into the country.

The smugglers demanded more money before they would let the brother go and threatened to harm him if the money was not paid, the US Attorney's Office said.

The five people sentenced have been and will remain in custody.

Crime and Public Safety Houston