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Woman Gets 5 Years for Human Trafficking

LAREDO, Texas (CN) - A 55-year-old woman was sentenced to five years in prison for running an operation that smuggled more than 100 illegal immigrants into the country, federal prosecutors said.

Charges against Josefa Galvan-De Luna stem from an investigation by the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agency. Agents spotted Galvan's vehicle dropping off illegals at a waiting tractor before stopping the attempted smuggling, prosecutors said.

Authorities used this information to execute a search warrant on Galvan-De Luna's Laredo home, where they found 100 Mexican identification documents, $28,000 in cash and two illegal aliens, according to prosecutors.

"ICE confirmed 135 distinct alien smuggling transactions attributable to Galvan totaling more than $300,000 in 2008 alone based on analysis of her ledgers, Western Union records and phone tolls," feds said.

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