- In 2021, a vehicle carrying two dozen illegal immigrants crashed into a tractor-trailer in Holtville, California.
- The Southern California incident resulted in 13 migrant deaths.
- Jose Cruz Noguez, who coordinated the human smuggling trip, was given 15 years in prison.
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for coordinating a smuggling trip in which two dozen migrants were stacked into a Ford Expedition that crashed into a tractor-trailer, killing 13 people outside a California desert town.
Jose Cruz Noguez pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges stemming from the March 2, 2021, crash near Holtville, about 125 miles east of San Diego. It was one of the deadliest highway crashes involving migrants smuggled into the United States.
Cruz Noguez also admitted to trying to still get payment for the smuggling trip from the survivors, prosecutors said. Neither Cruz Noguez nor his attorney could be reached for comment.
NEWSOM THREATENS DESANTIS WITH ‘KIDNAPPING CHARGES’ OVER MIGRANT FLIGHTS TO SACRAMENTOÂ
“Cruz Noguez organized one of the most callous and inhumane smuggling attempts that law enforcement has responded to in this district,” U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said. “He and his co-conspirators treated these individuals like a worthless commodity.”
Cruz Noguez arranged for the Ford Expedition and a GMC Yukon to be modified by removing the passenger seats so people could be stacked on top of each other, prosecutors said. He then drove the route north of the border to ensure no law enforcement were in the area.
At least 24 people were crammed into the Ford Expedition and another 19 were put in the GMC Yukon. A section of the border fence was then removed so the vehicles could drive across the Mexican border into California, prosecutors said.
Shortly after crossing the border, the Yukon caught fire and the driver fled, while the Ford Expedition continued on Interstate 8 towards Holtville. Just outside the town, it slammed into a…
Read the full article here
