Two men who helped pilot a panga boat that overturned, causing two people to drown off Torrey Pines State Beach in an immigrant smuggling operation, were sentenced Feb. 25 to five years each in federal prison. The two men from Sinaloa, Mexico, were not believed to be the actual alien smugglers, but were hired as part of the boat crew to smuggle in 18 undocumented workers in a wooden overloaded watercraft that was 26 feet long and designed to hold 8 to 10 people. Fernando Figueroa-Rodriguez, 51, and Javier Jimenez-Yucupicio, 45, pleaded guilty Aug. 25 to smuggling immigrants resulting in death and trafficking undocumented immigrants for financial gain. The men were operating the craft in the middle of the night to avoid detection, according to court records. On Jan. 16, 2010, around 4 a.m., the panga boat was approaching Torrey Pines State Beach, and a line wrapped around the engine and propeller, causing the motor to turn off, according to defense lawyers. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the pilot turned the motor off after a bright light from the shore illuminated the boat, which was about 40 to 50 feet from shore. A wave hit the boat, causing it to capsize, and everyone was thrown into the water. Most of the passengers were wearing life jackets and were saved, but two did not. Marbilia Judith Gabriel Mejia, 18, of Guatemala, and Jose Manuel Ortiz-Ibarra, 34, of Mexico, drowned. A San Diego police officer was on routine patrol at Torrey Pines at the time, and he was questioning someone in a parked car. The officer heard screams for help coming from the beach. He saw some people swimming to shore, and others were struggling in the water. The U.S. Coast Guard, city lifeguards, park rangers and others helped rescue 16 people, none of whom were in the United States lawfully. Four people were taken to hospitals. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman asked U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Miller to impose 71-month terms. Defense attorneys asked for terms of 41 and 30 months. Attorney Timothy Garrison, who represents Figueroa-Rodriguez, said in court documents that his client was offered $2,000 by the smugglers to help pilot the boat. Figueroa-Rodriguez supports six children in Mexico, some of whom are field workers. Garrison after his client finishes his sentence, he will be deported and will return to his home and resume his job as a field worker, according to court documents. Braverman wrote in court documents that the undocumented people paid fees ranging from $5,000 to $6,500 each for their smuggling. They began their trip in Popotla, Mexico, a small fishing village 22 miles south of the border, at 10 p.m. on Jan. 15, 2010. The boat experienced mechanical problems, and another boat arrived with people who repaired spark plugs in the engine before the panga boat continued. Braverman wrote that both defendants’ names were listed among 25 occupants of another panga boat in distress on Jan. 10, 2010, and they were rescued by the Mexican Navy before the boat entered U.S. waters. The prosecutor said it was believed that was another immigrant smuggling venture. “I hope this conviction drives home to anyone considering an attempt to illegally enter the U.S. by sea the reality that anytime you trust a smuggler, you are putting your life in grave danger,” said William Raymond, the director of air operations for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection unit. Both Figueroa-Rodriguez and Jimenez-Yucupicio were housed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center without bail since the incident and will receive credit of one year already spent in custody.