Wichita ? Two people pleaded guilty Friday to unlawfully transporting 14 illegal immigrants, including an ill woman who died after being dropped off at a Kansas rest area.

Jabiel Castro-Renteria, 29, and Mario Gonzales-Tapia, 44, both Mexican nationals, face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison followed by mandatory deportation.

U.S. District Judge Wesley Brown set sentencing for Oct. 16.

“Deaths and injuries occur all too often in alien smuggling cases,” U.S. Atty. Eric Melgren said in a prepared statement. “Those who engage in human smuggling within the United States will be brought to justice.”

Maria Hernandez, 56, had traveled by foot across the desert into the United States and was picked up by the two defendants near Los Angeles. She became ill March 29 during the trip across Kansas, and the smugglers left her at a rest stop in Gove County, prosecutors said.

She was taken to a hospital after motorists found her and alerted the Highway Patrol.

Hernandez suffered from a heart condition and severe dehydration, according to court records.

Melgren credited the increase in Kansas cases involving smuggling of illegal immigrants in part to increased awareness by law enforcement and police.