Elderly mom ran human-smuggling operation for more than 40 yrs

SAN DIEGO — The 85-year-old matriarch of a human-smuggling ring that operated for decades out of a Tijuana hotel was sentenced to 2½ years in federal prison Thursday.

Felicitas Gurrola De Mason sat quietly in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, her shoulder-length gray hair framing her lined face. During the hearing, she spoke softly through an interpreter.

“I’m remorseful and I ask for forgiveness,” she said, before acknowledging, “I’m very nervous. I can’t speak.”

Her daughter, Hilda Moreno Gurrola, 54, sat to her left, and on her right sat Guadalupe Ojeda Zamora, 50, who is not related to Gurrola but was raised by her in Tijuana.

The trio were the organizers of an unusual smuggling ring that was run by women for years, efficiently shuttling an unknown number of illegal immigrants through the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

Subjects: Illegal immigration, human smuggling, arrests, U.S.-Mexico border, fraudulent documents

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