Texan recruited through Instagram to smuggle immigrants into U.S. sentenced

DEL RIO, Texas - A Bryan, Texas man has been sentenced after being convicted of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. Alexzander JM Bisbee, 20, of Bryan, was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 27 months in prison.

Recruited through Instagram

What we know:

Bisbee admitted to federal officials someone contacted him on Instagram and offered to pay him to transport people into the country illegally, and he would be paid $2,000 per person. Bisbee was a convicted felon at the time of the offense, having previously been convicted of burglary of a building.

According to court documents, on July 3, 2024, a U.S. Border Patrol agent pulled over an SUV traveling south on U.S. Route 377. The driver, Mark Anthony Sanchez, Jr., 22, who was accompanied by Bisbee, stopped the vehicle to let three people get out of the vehicle and run into the brush. 

As the agent approached the vehicle, Sanchez quickly drove off from the immigration stop. The agent gave pursuit but stopped chasing them for safety reason. 

Sanchez and Bisbee were later pulled over by the Sonora Police Department for speeding and were ordered to exit the vehicle. 

During the search of the SUV, they found two 9mm semiautomatic pistols, including an AR-15–style pistol. 

Agents searched the area where the passengers were seen running from Sanchez and Bisbee's vehicle and arrested two of them. They were identified as people who had entered the country illegally.

Bisbee pleaded guilty Nov. 20, 2024, and was sentenced on March 17, 2025.

What's next:

Sanchez pleaded guilty to the same charge Dec. 18. His sentence hearing is scheduled for May 13.