Two Douglas residents were sentenced to prison Wednesday for their part in smuggling a 13-year-old El Salvadoran girl through the Douglas Port of Entry.
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Both Botello and Lucero, both of Douglas, admitted on Dec.14, 2007 that they had attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico through the pedestrian lane at the Douglas port with the girl from El Salvador, said Sandy Raynor, Public Affairs for the United States Attorney, District of Arizona.
The pair claimed she was a U.S. citizen. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection official asked the girl to write her name and date of birth on a piece of paper. The official became suspicious when the girl couldn’t do so without asking Botello.
Lucero admitted that he and Botello knew the girl was undocumented and that a man named Dario was going to give then $350 for escorting the girl into the U.S.
The pair admitted they planned to use the money to buy drugs.
On March 5, 2008, and June 11, 2008, Botello and Lucero respectively pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport an illegal alien for financial gain. Lucero also pleaded guilty to failure to appear in court in March 2008 on these charges.
The girl was detained for reunification with her father in El Salvador via the El Salvadoran consulate.
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