Omar Heriberto Robles-Hernandez, 24, of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Robles-Hernandez had previously pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death.
On approximately May 13, 2017, Robles-Hernandez guided eight males (two of whom were juveniles) across the desert from Mexico into Arizona in order to enter the United States illegally. The males were citizens of Mexico and Honduras and were forced to carry backpacks of marijuana, weighing approximately 50 pounds each, during the trip.
On May 23, 2017, after ten days of walking in the desert, Robles-Hernandez and the people he was guiding were located by agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Three of them were taken to the hospital where a 16 year old boy died from heat exposure and dehydration caused by the arduous trip through the desert.