Woman sentenced to 18 months for smuggling individuals in a trunk

Dominque Trinidad Valdez-Velasquez was sentenced up to 18 months in prison

TUCSON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - A 30-year-old woman was sentenced up to 18 months in prison, along with 36 months of supervised release on Sept. 29, 2022.

Dominque Trinidad Valdez-Velasquez has also previously pleaded guilty to transporting undocumented individuals and placing in jeopardy the life of any person and was arrested on December 29, 2021.

At an immigration checkpoint traffic stop near Amado, Arizona, a Border Patrol canine alerted agents to the trunk of Valdez-Velasquez said the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Arizona.

There were four undocumented individuals found in the trunk of Valdez-Velasquez's vehicle.

The U.S. Attorney's Office District of Arizona mentioned that court documents said after traveling for an hour, the individuals were left in the trunk for more than four hours while the 30-year-old woman slept in a hotel.