In San Antonio this morning, a federal judge sentenced 36-year-old Gerardo Javier Carreon of Laredo, TX, to 70 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for transporting illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden.
On July 5, 2018, Carreon pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. On June 12, 2018, authorities responding to a scene in the area of Loop 410 and Broadway discovered over 50 illegal aliens in and around a semi-tractor trailer driven by Carreon.
“As we’ve seen too many times, transporting human beings in tractor-trailers is unbelievably dangerous. This has to stop," stated U.S. Attorney Bash. “We will vigorously prosecute drivers who commit this dangerous crime, and the penalties are stiff."
“As this sentence makes clear, those who exploit people in for profit will themselves face consequences," said HSI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Folden. “Those responsible for illegally moving people into and through our country place personal profit ahead of public safety and border protection. They are driven by greed with little regard for the health and well-being of their human cargo, which can be a deadly combination."
The U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Matt Lathrop and Christina Playton prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
