Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Transportation Resulting in the Death of a 16 Year Old

     PHOENIX - On July 30, 2018, Omar Heriberto Robles-Hernandez, 24, of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven Paul Logan 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.

     The investigation in this case was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  The prosecution was handled by Lisa E. Jennis and Todd M. Allison, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:           CR 17-00980-PHX-SPL   

RELEASE NUMBER:    2018-096_ Robles-Hernandez

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