2 Get Prison For Immigrant Smuggling That Led To 2 Deaths
LAREDO (AP) — Two Guatemalan men were sentenced to federal prison for their parts in an immigrant-smuggling run that led to the deaths of two Ecuadoran men.
A Justice Department statement says 23-year-old Melvin L. Barahona-Godoy was sentenced in Laredo on Wednesday to 4 years and 9 months in prison, while 29-year-old Yoryi Alexis Perez drew a 6½-year prison term. Both had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally transport immigrants resulting in death. Both will be subject to deportation after completing their prison terms.
Federal officials found at a Laredo residence on Oct. 21, 2017, nine immigrants who were in the country illegally, one of whom was Barahona-Godoy. They say interviews established that Barahona-Godoy and Perez had guided the group across the Rio Grande the previous month. The crossing drowned two persons.