An El Centro man has been charged in a fatal human smuggling attempt.
Saad Ali Awan , 23 , a U.S. citizen living in El Centro , was in federal court Friday to face charges that he was part of a conspiracy to smuggle three Chinese nationals into the U.S. from Mexico. The three individuals were later found dead in the trunk of the smuggler's car.
According to the federal complaint , Awan placed help-wanted ads on Craigslist to recruit human smugglers. Neil Edward Valera responded to one of the ads and agreed smuggle the three Chinese nationals. Valera was charged in the case and pleaded guilty and sentenced to five years in prison for his part in the deaths. Awan was arrested Thursday at his home in El Centro. He has been charged with Conspiracy to Encourage Aliens to Enter Resulting in Death and Bringing in Aliens without Presentation for Financial Gain. According to the complaint charging Awan , agents and officers investigating the deaths of the Chinese nationals tracked cell phone and email activity to Awan and found that he was associated with at least 14 smuggling incidents from July 2019 to July 2020.
On August 11, 2019 , San Diego Police received a report of a foul odor coming from a 1999 BMW parked in the 2100 block of Jaime Avenue. When investigating officers opened the trunk they found two women and a man who perished due to heat exhaustion and asphyxiation. Video recording at the San Ysidro port of entry showed the car had crossed the border at 3:14 p.m. two days earlier. The car was traced to Valera who was subsequently arrested. Valera told investigators that he had responded to Awan's ads and agreed to smuggle an unknown number of Chinese women in the trunk of his car for $6,000. Valera's cell phone records showed he had hundreds of contacts traced back to Awan and another conspirator.
Saad Ali Awan faces a maximum penalty of Death or Life in Prison and a $250,000 fine. Awan will next appear in federal court on August 31, 2021 for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Bermudez Montenegro in El Centro.
