Hourly Update

Man sentenced under new human smuggling law

YUMA - A man accused of smuggling illegal immigrants from Arizona to California has been sentenced to two years in prison under the state's new human smuggling law. Yuma County Deputy County Attorney Roger Nelson said Pedro Velazquez, 20, of Los Angeles and Mexico, is the first in Yuma County, and possibly the state, sentenced under the law. Velazquez, an illegal alien from Mexico whose true identity is still in question, admitted that he picked up a pickup truck packed with illegal aliens in Yuma and was planning to transport them to Los Angeles. Court records show he said his employer, who he wouldn't identify, told him not to stop for police. Velazquez had been charged with 29 counts of smuggling and endangerment, but all but one count were dismissed under terms of a plea deal.