A Phoenix woman was sentenced in November to nearly three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transporting illegal aliens earlier this year.

Tonya Durinda Romero, 37, was sentenced on Nov. 14 by U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi, to 33 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Romero admitted to authorities that she was a member of a conspiracy that transported undocumented noncitizens from southern Arizona to the Phoenix metropolitan area. She was involved in renting stash houses to harbor the noncitizens and providing vehicles to others to transport them further into the United States, according to the press release.

Romero was stopped on Jan. 30, 2024, by a Pinal County Sheriff’s Office deputy sheriff because her registration had expired, according to the press release.

The deputy also determined Romero was driving with a suspended license and had no insurance. Romero was arrested and transported to the Casa Grande Border Patrol station for an interview, during which she admitted she had been involved in human smuggling since she was 16 years old, according to the press release.

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa E. Jennis, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.