GOLDEN — Two men were sentenced Monday in Jefferson County District Court to prison terms of two years for smuggling humans.
Exal Sanchez-Figueroa, 25, and Luis Contreras-Ferreira, 25, pleaded guilty to the felony in March.
They could have been sentenced to up to 12 years in prison. Both have been deported three times.
The Colorado State Patrol arrested the two on Nov. 19 after after a routine traffic stop on Interstate 70 near West 32nd Avenue in Wheat Ridge.
Troopers stopped a minivan driven by Contreras-Ferreira for weaving and discovered 15 undocumented foreign nationals, including a woman and a juvenile. They were traveling through Colorado to Kansas.
“This is the first time a judge has imposed such a sentence in Jefferson County,” said Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey.
District Court Judge Randall Arp denied a defense attorney request to sentence the men to probation, saying there was no way for the men to comply with the terms and conditions of probation,
Arp also said he wanted to send a message that human smuggling would not be treated lightly.
Ann Schrader: 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
