A man who thought he could make some money smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S. will be paying for his bad idea for the next 21 years, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
That's how long Osvaldo Gonzalez, 26, of Mission, will spend in federal prison after he bungled his smuggling attempt, leading to the death of two migrants.
Homeland Security says Gonzalez packed 13 illegal immigrants into a car driven by a driver who was even more incompetent than he was. As the driver attempted to take the immigrants north, he was 'spooked' by the sight of what he thought was a police care, went off the road near Mission, and overturned. One of the immigrants was killed instantly, the other was rushed to a hospital where he died several weeks later.
Gonzalez got the stiff sentence because of the two deaths, and because he is a felon who was at the time awaiting sentencing for the crime of harboring illegal immigrants.
"The sentencing brings justice to the individual responsible for causing the tragic loss of life and wreaking havoc on those who survived this horrific incident,” said Shane M. Folden, special agent in charge, HSI San Antonio. “This case is a glaring reminder that alien smugglers are driven by greed and have little regard for the health and well-being of their human cargo, which can prove to be a deadly combination. HSI is committed to aggressively targeting smuggling organizations and human smugglers who continually victimize people for profit.”
IMAGE: GETTY