Tijuana

Former Club Tijuana Xolos Star Raul Enriquez-Arambula Sentenced for Human Trafficking

Raúl Enríquez Arámbula denied any knowledge of how two women ended up in his car trunk before he attempted to cross the border into the U.S.

Raul Enriquez Arambula of Tijuana controls the ball during a match between Atlas and Tijuana as part of the Clausura 2013 - Liga MX at Jalisco Stadium on March 03, 2013 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Cioran Castañeda/LatinContent via Getty Images

A former Mexican soccer star for Club Tijuana's team was sentenced Monday to credit for 86 days already served in custody for trying to smuggle two women across the border at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

Raul Enriquez-Arambula, 37, the top goal scorer of all time for the Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles, pleaded guilty to driving two undocumented women to the border on Sept. 11.

With the time-served sentencing, Enriquez-Arambula was expected to be released from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego on Monday and will then be released to Mexico.

The women, both Mexican citizens, told officers that they agreed to pay between $15,000 and $18,500 to be brought into the United States, according to court documents.

A probable cause statement filed in federal court states Enriquez-Arambula was driving a 2016 Cadillac SRX that was inspected by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer just after 5 a.m. Border agents asked him where he was headed and he responded he was going to play soccer in Santa Ana, California.

The officer conducting the inspection saw a blanket covering something in the rear of the car, asked him to open the rear hatch and found the women concealed underneath the blanket, according to the document. At the time, Enriquez-Arambula denied knowing the women or how they got into his vehicle, the document states. Both women said they made the deal with unknown people in Mexico.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Whelan imposed the time-served sentence sought by defense attorney Anton Vialtsin, who wrote in a sentencing memorandum that "public shaming and probable career-opportunity loss already served as massive punishment to him."

Through a Spanish-speaking interpreter, Enriquez-Arambula said, "I think this is a mistake that is going to mark all my life" and told the judge, "I give you my word that this is not going to happen again."

Vialtsin wrote "Raul is unlikely to ever receive permission to re-enter or work in the United States," though the attorney also wrote that his client has spoken with the president of the Tijuana soccer team, "who is interested in bringing Raul for another season."

Enriquez-Arambula played for the Xolos from 2007 until 2013, during which time he scored 81 goals, nearly twice as many as the second-place goal scorer.

Who is Raúl Enríquez Arámbula?

Enriquez, originally from Colima, Mexico, began his career with Jaguares de Chiapas in 2005.

In 2008, he joined Club Tijuana and became the scoring leader in the Ascenso MX. In 2010, he helped Club Tijuana win the 2010 Apertura trophy in the promotion league where six months later he would reach the First Division. He is currently Club Tijuana's all-time top goalscorer.

According to his Liga MX card, Enríquez was also part of the Petroleros de Salamanca, Jaguares de Chiapas, Xolos, Dorados de Sinaloa, Mineros de Zacatecas and Bravos de Ciudad Juárez teams.

After his retirement and for a couple of years, Raúl Enríquez was frequently seen on courts in Tijuana, playing for amateur teams, where usually the pay is zero or very little.

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