Human Smuggling Operation Sends Two Men to Prison

Last Update: 4/07 9:34 pm


Two men who took part in a human smuggling organization that brought illegal immigrants into the United States from Mexico were each sentenced Monday to 6 1/2 years in federal prison.

Pedro Sanchez-Espinoza and Roy Jack Bonilla, who appeared before U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez, were both arrested on Jan. 18, 2007, in the wake of a crash carrying illegal aliens who paid smugglers to bring them across the border.

According to the prosecution, the defendants dropped off a white van on the shoulder of Interstate 8 near Boulevard and got into a Ford Escort driven by Sanchez-Espinoza.

Immediately after parking the van, about 20 people emerged from the bushes on the shoulder of the freeway and jumped into the van.

Border Patrol agents followed both vehicles. The van was traveling at speeds of more than 100 mph before the driver pulled over to the right shoulder of Interstate 8, where many of the occupants attempted to jump out.

The driver took off again and turned the steering wheel to the right immediately before the van dropped 100 feet down a steep slope. As the van rolled down the embankment, it ran over a woman who had previously jumped out of the vehicle, which finally came to a stop when it crashed into a rock.

Border Patrol agents found the woman lying face-down near the van with tire marks across her lower back. She was treated at a local hospital.

The 10 aliens who were apprehended told authorities they arranged to pay between $1,200 and $1,800 to be smuggled into the United States from Mexico, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Sanchez-Espinoza and Bonilla were arrested near the crash site. Prosecutors said the defendants were also involved in previous alien smuggling operations.

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