Immigrant smuggler sentenced to 5-plus years in prison
By Angelica Martinez (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer
5:56 p.m. April 6, 2009

SAN DIEGO – A man who smuggled three immigrants into the United States, two of whom died from heat exposure, was sentenced Monday to more than five years in federal prison.
Odilon Cira-Ramirez was ordered to serve 63 months followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Federal prosecutors said Cira-Ramirez pleaded guilty in November to two counts of smuggling illegal immigrants resulting in death and one count of smuggling illegal immigrants for financial gain.
As part of his plea, Cira-Ramirez admitted that he guided a group of three immigrants near Tecate on July 7. The group had to walk in extreme heat with little water, officials said

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