Final Suspect Caught in Smuggling Case

The U.S. attorney's office says the last of 14 people accused in the smuggling deaths of 19 illegal immigrants has been extradited to the United States.^[1] A fugitive wanted since 2003 for his alleged role in the nation's deadliest human smuggling attempt was extradited Tuesday from Mexico.^[2]

The last of the at large defendants in this case was Octavio Torres-Ortega, arrived in Houston on the afternoon of October 16 to face 58 counts of running a smuggling operation that transported and harbored illegal immigrants into the United States.^[3] Twenty of those counts carry a maximum life sentence.^[4]

The smuggling attempt began in Harlingen where more than 70 immigrants from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic were packed inside a tractor-trailer.^[5]

Nineteen immigrants died from dehydration, overheating and suffocation in the back of a big rig in April 2003.^[6] Tyrone Williams, the driver of the truck abandoned the trailer at a truck stop near Victoria and is now serving a life sentence.^[7] We have previously written about the case of Tyrone Williams, here.

The crime of transporting illegal aliens has been previously discussed here. The punishment for a violation of section 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(B)(ii). is a fine, imprisonment for up to 5 years or both,^[8] unless the violation is done for commercial advantage or private financial gain, in which case the penalty is a fine, imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both.^[9]

Federal criminal defense attorney Douglas McNabb has previously discussed this case here, and the transnational crimes associated with smuggling, here.

---

^[1] AP Staff, The U.S. attorney's office says the last of 14 people accused in the smuggling, Associated Press Newswire, October 16, 2007, available at LEXIS, News Library, Wire News Services File.
^[2] AP Staff, Last defendant in deadly immigrant smuggling case extradited to US, Associated Press Newswire, October 16, 2007, available at LEXIS, News Library, Wire News Services File.
^[3] AP Staff 1, supra note 1.
^[4] Id.
^[5] AP Staff 2, supra note 2.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.
^[8] 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(B)(ii).
^[9] Id. § 1324(a)(1)(B)(i).