Two Guatemalans were sentenced this week in Texas for their role in a prolific human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the death of a migrant, officials stated.
Armando Gael Galicia, aka Artemio Diego Andres Gonzalez, aka Luis Moreno-Gonzalez, 27, was sentenced Friday to 17 years and six months in federal custody. Jose Diego Tercero-Gonzalez, 23, was sentenced on Sept. 14 to 15 years and eight months in federal custody.
According to court documents, Gael Galicia and Tercero-Gonzalez were responsible for smuggling a young indigenous Guatemalan woman.
In May 2021, her body was discovered in a remote area outside of Odessa, Texas. In August 2021, Gael Galicia and Tercero-Gonzalez were arrested near the trailer where the victim was taken and died.
Inside the trailer were additional migrants who had entered the country unlawfully, according to officials.
The case is related to the recent guilty pleas of Felipe Diego Alonzo, Nesly Norberto Martinez Gomez, Lopez Mateo Mateo, and Juan Gutierrez Castro for their involvement in the Guatemala-based human smuggling conspiracy that led to the young woman’s death.