The barrier running along the U.S.-Mexico border cuts across the Tohono O'odham Nation.
Federal authorities say a Southern Arizona smuggling ring used the U.S. banking system to transfer more than $1 million.
The Arizona Daily Star reports it found sworn affidavits filed in U.S. District Court in Tucson that described the money being deposited into 22 bank accounts controlled by alleged ringleader Audias Sanchez Colin.
He was one of 27 people accused of conspiring to transport and harbor people who were in the country illegally and launder the proceeds of that conspiracy.
The 38-year-old Sanchez faces between eight and 10 years in federal prison when he's sentenced. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 12.
Authorities say the operation allegedly moved thousands of migrants from Mexico and Central America to the United States and then to various destinations around the country.
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