It's the coyotes that the INS wants to prosecute, he said. Agents first must determine who among the group is the smuggler. The coyote often intimidates the passengers into keeping quiet about his identity. The smuggler often will just run away and leave everybody if there's a wreck. For a first offense, a successfully prosecuted smuggler might receive eight months to a year in jail.
Successive offenses bring more years in prison.
If a smuggler's actions result in injury or death, a sentence could run to life, Weber said. They are motivated by nothing but profit. He, Julio and Fitzgerald all agree on that. They just disagree on how best to thwart the coyotes. The Denver Post or other copyright holders.