Human smugglers get prison time

Published: Nov. 18, 2003 at 6:22 PM

SHERMAN, Texas, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Two truck drivers were each sentenced to 34 years in prison Tuesday for their roles in a human smuggling scheme in which two illegal immigrants died.

Troy Phillip Dock, 31, and Jason Steven Sprague, 29, pleaded guilty in March to federal charges of racketeering and smuggling aliens that resulted in death. Officials said the sentences may be the longest ever given in such a case.

Dock and Sprague admitted they received several thousand dollars for hauling 30 undocumented immigrants in the back of a padlocked trailer truck in the summer of 2002. They were hauling their human cargo from El Paso to the Midwest.

When the drivers unlocked the trailer at Dallas, most of the immigrants jumped out and ran away, but others were unconscious and some hospitalized. They had been locked inside without enough water or ventilation in the summer heat, federal agents said.

Dock and Sprague closed the trailer up and continued driving north until they were stopped near Anna, Texas, by police. Inside, officers found the bodies of two illegal immigrants and a third in serious condition.

© 2003 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
GM may take time to find new CEO (15 min)
Shuttle Endeavour readied for a space trip (22 min)
Bernanke confirmation hits early wrinkle (45 min)
Canada recalls Western-brand cream cheese (47 min)
FDA approves hereditary angioedema drug
Soccer star to visit Gaza
Your Daily Horoscope
fark
Southerners have a higher risk of stroke, especially with their sister
Australian nursing tribunal confirms that "getting stoned and getting laid" is not on the approved...
Chinese news agency does hilarious CGI reenactment of the Tiger Woods incident. Starring Barbie...
One of the world's leading dog photographers has died at age 13. With links to portfolio of his...
You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door. You're about...
Photoshop this flower delivery clown