Arizona woman gets 21 months in federal prison for migrant smuggling case

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A woman living in southern Arizona has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for conspiring to transport and harbor over a period of time more than 100 migrants who entered the U.S. illegally.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations says 43-year-old Amalia Gonzalez-Lara pleaded guilty to the charge late last year. She was sentenced Tuesday.

Authorities say she managed, supervised and coordinated smuggling operations for a stash house where migrants from Mexico and Guatemala stayed in Avondale, Arizona west of Phoenix after being smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Sergio Vazquez-Flores helped operate the residence with Gonzalez-Lara. The 46-yearold will be sentenced March 15.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona in Tucson.

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