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NEWS-PRESS EXCLUSIVE
Smuggler of illegal aliens, meth sentenced Mexican man gets five years in prison after taking panga boat to Santa Barbara County beach By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
One of the two Mexican men convicted of smuggling drugs and illegal aliens on a panga boat that came ashore at a Santa Barbara County beach in 2021 has been sentenced to five years in federal prison, prosecutors said. A federal jury found the defendants guilty of drug and human trafficking
charges after law enforcement caught them on the panga boat containing 45 pounds of methamphetamine and 11 illegal aliens from Mexico, the U.S. Justice Department announced on Dec. 21. One defendant — Roel AranzubiaÁlvarez, 43, of Sinaloa, Mexico — was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer on April 10 to 60 months (five years) in federal prison, Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office,
told the News-Press. “He is appealing his conviction to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit,” Mr. McEvoy said. The second defendant, Jorge MuñozMuñoz, 26, of Ensenada, Mexico, was also scheduled to be sentenced on April 10, but the hearing was continued to May 30 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Mr. McEvoy said. “We’re asking Judge Fischer to
sentence Muñoz-Muñoz to 292 months (24 years and four months) in federal prison,” he said. Jurors found the two defendants guilty on Dec. 20 of one count of conspiracy to bring non-citizens into the United States, 11 counts of alien smuggling, 11 counts of alien smuggling for private financial gain, and one count of aiding and assisting an alien convicted of an aggravated felony to enter the United States.
Mr. Muñoz-Muñoz also was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of conspiracy to import methamphetamine, and one count of importation of methamphetamine. Mr. AranzubiaÁlvarez was found not guilty of the drugrelated charges. Please see SENTENCE on A4
Report: California one of the least efficient highway spenders
Suspects plead not guilty to burning pride flags By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
This is a view of Highway 101 as seen from the West Anapamu Street footbridge in Santa Barbara. The Reason Foundation recently ranked California toward the bottom of a list for its efficiency in spending on highways.
The state received poor marks for rural interstate pavement condition (46th), urban interstate pavement condition (47th), urban other principal arterial pavement condition (50th), and maintenance disbursements (44th).
By TOM JOYCE THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
(The Center Square) - When it comes to highway spending performance, California is not one of the most efficient states in the country. In its 27th annual highway report, the Reason Foundation ranked California 47th out of the 50 states. The state dropped two spots from its previous 45th-place ranking. There were several seasons for California’s poor rankings. The state received poor marks for rural interstate pavement condition (46th), urban interstate pavement condition (47th), urban other principal arterial pavement Please see HIGHWAYS on A4
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REASON FOUNDATION’S ANNUAL HIGHWAY REPORT
Out of the 50 states. California ranked 47 on the Reason Foundation’s Annual Highway Report. The topperforming states were all in the South: Virginia (first), North Carolina (second), Tennessee (third) and Georgia (fourth).
The two men charged with the theft and burning of two pride flags last summer in the Santa Ynez Valley have pleaded not guilty to the three misdemeanor charges filed against them, prosecutors said. Avi Stone Williams, 19, and Joshua Jerome Eligino, 20, are charged with two misdemeanor counts of petty theft and one misdemeanor count of a violation of civil rights. They entered their not guilty pleas at their arraignment Wednesday at Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria. “There will not be a preliminary hearing as this is not a felony case,” Supervising Deputy District Attorney Steven Li said. “The next court date is May 15 in Santa Maria.” A progress pride flag was stolen from an unidentified family between July 18 and July 20, prosecutors said in their complaint. A second pride flag was stolen from St. Mark’s-in-theValley Episcopal Church in Los Olivos between July 27 and July 28. Prosecutors allege Mr. Williams and Mr. Eligino destroyed the flags between July 18 and July 27 “for the purpose of intimidating and interfering with the free exercise and enjoyment of right and privilege secured by the Constitution and laws of California … because of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, and sexual orientation and because the defendant perceived that the victim had such characteristics.” In accordance with the Victims’ Bill of Rights, the District Attorney’s Office met with the victims and members of the community and received input on how they were impacted by these events.
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