On Monday, Hector Salas-Garcia, 40, Michocan, Mexico was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 121 months’ imprisonment. Salas-Garcia had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death.
On April 27, 2008, Salas-Garcia was driving a 1989 pickup truck in a rural area of Eloy with at least 31 passengers when the truck rolled over and four people were killed. His passengers were all undocumented aliens and he was furthering their presence in the United States. Salas-Garcia was removed from the scene of the rollover prior to law enforcement arriving and was taken to Mexico by his brother Agustin Salas-Garcia. Agustin Salas-Garcia previously pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment in 2009 and subsequently deported.
The investigation in this case was conducted by United States Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.