A Mission man was sentenced to 45 months in prison after pleading guilty to his role in a fatal 2021 human smuggling crash near Falfurrias, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Julio Garza IV pleaded guilty on February 2023 in connection with the crash. His sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release, according to a Tuesday news release. 

The news release identified Garza as the man who hired a 16-year-old male to transport a group of migrants from Edinburg to Falfurrias in April 2021.

As previously reported, the vehicle was pulled over by the U.S. Border Patrol during the smuggling attempt, causing four people to jump out of the vehicle and flee.

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One of the migrants — identified as a Honduras citizen — was struck by a truck and run over by another vehicle, killing him.

“The tragic loss of life in this case is an example of the very real risks people face when they put their lives in the hands of smugglers,” said Mark Lippa, Deputy Special Agent in Charge, HSI Rio Grande Valley. “Those responsible for illegally moving people through our country place personal profit ahead of public safety. Driven by greed, these criminals have little regard for the health and well-being of their human cargo, which can be a deadly combination.”

Garza will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.