IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. — The captain and co-captain of a boat that capsized in the waters off Imperial Beach last year during a human smuggling attempt, leading to the drowning deaths of three people who were aboard the vessel, were sentenced Thursday to federal prison terms.
Jorge Armando Preciado-Vasquez, 30, and Alexis Martinez-Preciado, 20, both of Baja California, co-piloted a panga boat carrying seven adults and a juvenile on Nov. 26, 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The capsizing led to the deaths of a 39-year-old woman and a 47-year- old man, both from Mexico, as well as the death of a still-unidentified woman believed to be from Guatemala.
Prosecutors said the boat's occupants were being brought from Mexico to the United States, with Preciado-Vasquez acting as the captain and Martinez- Preciado acting as co-captain and navigator.
As the vessel approached the Imperial Beach shoreline, the defendants told the eight passengers to take off their life jackets, which the U.S. Attorney's Office said is a common tactic employed by human smugglers "so passengers are quicker and more inconspicuous making their way to the shore."
The boat soon overturned, resulting in the three victims drowning. Two bodies were recovered on Nov. 26, while a third was found on the beach days later.
Preciado-Vasquez was sentenced Thursday to four years and six months in prison, while Martinez-Preciado received a four-year, two-month term.
In court filings, attorneys for both men said their clients are guilt-stricken and remorseful over the incident.
The attorneys wrote that the men sought permission from their handlers to turn the vessel around because of dangerous conditions in the water, but were threatened and feared the consequences of disobeying orders.
Preciado-Vasquez's attorney, Brittany Sherron, said he only took on the job due to a dire financial situation in which his family was faced with mounting medical bills.
A sentencing memorandum from Martinez-Preciado's attorney, Lewis Muller, states his client "has been emotionally devastated" over what occurred and "he will live with the guilt of his actions for the rest of his life."
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