BEAUMONT, Texas — A Mexican national who is illegally present in the United States was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, Wednesday, for transporting illegal aliens and illegal reentry.

This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Beaumont, Texas, and the Nacogdoches Police Department (NPD).

Joel Sanchez-Guzman, 46, pleaded guilty to the charges, June 4, 2019. He was also ordered to forfeit $1,300.

According to information presented in court, Sanchez-Guzman was stopped by NPD for a traffic violation, Jan. 25, 2019. During the traffic stop, Sanchez-Guzman told law enforcement officers that he had received approximately $900 to transport six adult male passengers from Houston, Texas, to Atlanta, Georgia. He was released at the time, pending further investigation.

On Feb. 16, 2019, Sanchez-Guzman was again stopped by NPD for a traffic violation and was found to be transporting eight individuals he knew to be illegally present in the United States. Sanchez-Guzman was arrested for this offense, as well as the January incident. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 6, 2019, and charged with smuggling illegal aliens and illegal reentry as a previously deported alien.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall L. Fluke.