Image Credit: CPD & U.S. Border Patrol
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A Chattanooga man has been sentenced to federal prison after being convicted for participating in a human smuggling operation of illegal aliens that was discovered by Texas border control last year.
According to a press release, 38-year-old Josef Alquan Rutley was driving a tractor trailer near the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint when he was stopped by agents. He told them he was on the way to Laredo with his empty trailer to look for a load.
Agents were suspicious and noted that Rutley appeared nervous and was avoiding eye contact with them. He was then told to take his truck over for an x-ray scan.
The scan of the trailer showed 22 individuals locked inside with no way of escaping. Agents determined that the individuals were from Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
When questioned, Rutley originally stated that he began talking with a man who claimed to be with a trucking company on December 14 about transporting a load of tomatoes. He claimed there was an issue at the warehouse which led him to leave his truck at a truck stop. Rutley stated that he did not check the truck before pulling out and as unaware of the cargo inside.
Rutley later changed his story to Homeland Security agents, admitting that he met a man through a friend who asked him to transport the load. He was not told what he was hauling, although he suspected that it was illegal because the man offered him $15,000 to haul it.
He admitted that he later realized based on the operations of the individuals he met that he was probably transporting humans. Rutley pleaded guilty on February 18.
U.S. District Judge David Morales sentenced Rutley to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
“Human smuggling can often turn deadly, particularly in crowded conditions like a tractor trailer,” said Jennifer B. Lowery, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. “Our office remains committed to deterring these dangerous operations and holding traffickers accountable.”
