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Mexican smuggler given 19-year sentence

The Associated Press | Saturday, Dec 16 2006 9:15 AM

Last Updated: Saturday, Dec 16 2006 9:15 AM

A Mexican man who led authorities on a high-speed chase in an SUV hauling illegal immigrants and nearly 700 pounds of marijuana was sentenced to more than 19 years in state prison.

Jovanni Mendoza, 26, of Tijuana, was sentenced Friday in federal court. He was convicted earlier this year of 10 felony counts of smuggling aliens and drugs.

More than two dozen U.S. Border Patrol agents showed up in court to urge a stiff sentence for Mendoza, saying he was suspected of making many dangerous, high-speed runs in San Diego County during his decade-long smuggling career.

Mendoza had at least 10 run-ins with the California Highway Patrol and the Border Patrol in the years leading up to his arrest, Assistant U.S. Attorney John R. Kraemer said.

"The county is going to be a lot safer with this dangerous smuggler off the roads," said Donald McDermott, who supervised the Border Patrol unit that arrested Mendoza.

Authorities said Mendoza was transporting five illegal immigrants and 11 suitcases full of marijuana in his Chevrolet Suburban when the car was stopped last year by CHP officers for having an expired registration.

Mendoza attempted to get away, driving west in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 8, but crashed head-on into a CHP vehicle and fled on foot. Nobody was hurt.

He was arrested by Border Patrol agents a week later after being stopped at a checkpoint on the same highway, according to court documents.

U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw sentenced Mendoza to 235 months in prison, calling him a public danger. She also ordered him to pay the CHP $9,874 in restitution for damage to its vehicle.