Tucson judge gives serial illegal border crosser 7-year term



Fernanda Echavarri, Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Tuesday, May 3, 2011 10:35 am


A "serial border-crosser" was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for illegal reentry to the United States after deportation, officials said.

Joaquin Valdez-Gastelum, of Sonora, Mexico, pleaded guilty late last year to violating terms of his supervise release in a separate drug trafficking case by reentering the U.S. illegally, said Robert Sherwood, an Arizona U.S. District Attorney spokesman.

Valdez-Gastelum was found in Nogales, Arizona, on Sept. 30 after having been deported following an aggravated felony conviction of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, Sherwood said in a news release.

The 38-year-old had previously been convicted of illegal entry three times, dating back to 1994, Sherwood said.

U.S. District Judge David Bury sentenced Valdez-Gastelum Friday to a year in prison for violating supervised release, and 6 years and 5 months for illegal reentry, according to the release.

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