GENERAL NEWS

Human smuggling coordinator sentenced to 10 months in prison

Aug 10, 2024, 4:00 PM

gavel hitting table...

A Utah man has been sentenced to 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for transporting illegal aliens for profit.(Boonchai Wedmakawand/Getty Images)

(Boonchai Wedmakawand/Getty Images)

PHOENIX — A Utah man has been sentenced to 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for transporting illegal aliens for profit.

U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes handed down the sentence to Mauricio Andrade-Garcia, 20, of Heber City, Utah.

Andrade-Garcia pleaded guilty to the charge in March, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

Andrade-Garcia recruited drivers through social media sites.

After recruiting the drivers, Andrade-Garcia instructed them on how and where to pick up undocumented noncitizens in southern Arizona, and how to transport them deeper into the country for profit.

Three of the drivers were arrested and convicted in separate cases.

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Human smuggling coordinator sentenced to 10 months in prison