Published on Tuesday, March 14, 2006
in the Ft. Myers News-Press

13 smuggled immigrants found on I-75

An Arizona man is facing federal smuggling charges today after a state trooper stopped him on Interstate 75 with 13 illegal Mexican immigrants Monday.

Erasmo Sosa-Gutierres, 27, of Phoenix, was the second driver in less than two months pulled over on I-75 with dark tinted windows hiding illegal immigrants.

Trooper Anastasia Graeve stopped a 1995 Ford pickup with dark tinted windows one mile north of the State Road 80 exit. Inside the vehicle were 13 illegal immigrants.

The pickup had a camper top on the back, troopers said. Sosa-Gutierres smuggled the people into the United States from Mexico and was taking them to Immokalee to work in the fields, troopers said.

“He will be charged with the transportation of illegals,” said FHP Sgt. Dan Hinton.

The 13 people were turned over the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Fort Myers.

On Monday, Jorge Martin Yac Vasquez of Guatemala was convicted of transporting illegal aliens for financial gain at the federal courthouse in Fort Myers.

Vasquez, too, was stopped by a trooper for dark tinted windows. He was stopped Jan. 12 five miles north of State Road 78. Inside the vehicle were eight illegal immigrants.