A Tucson man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to smuggling immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Michael Lopez-Loreto, 22, also received three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for profit and placing in jeopardy the life of any person, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona.

Lopez-Loreto was initally contacted by Border Patrol agents while driving a vehicle that was reported by a property owner in January.

As he was driving toward agents, he initially slowed but then sped up to maneuver around the agents who had blocked the road. Agents pursued Lopez-Loreto, eventually deploying spike strips to stop his vehicle, which crashed into a barrier and rolled over, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Two passengers in the vehicle, eventually determined to be in the country illegally, were transported to the hospital for treatment. Interviews determined Lopez-Loreto was transporting them further into the U.S.

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.