Man found guilty of smuggling 4 across Texas-Mexico border in wheel well, fuel tank
FILE - U.S. Customs and Border Protection Checkpoint located in Falfurrias, 80 miles north of Mission, Texas on Jan. 16, 2019.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 48-year-old Jonesboro, Arkansas man has been convicted of hiding four undocumented migrants and bringing them across the Texas-Mexico border.
A Corpus Christi jury found Noel Mercado guilty on two counts of alien smuggling. They deliberated for less than 30 minutes.
The backstory:
Prosecutors said Mercado drove to the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint on Jan. 5 in a Ford F350 pickup truck where a K9 alerted to the vehicle, and he was referred for an inspection.
Border patrol agents found two people inside modified wheel well compartments and two others inside an auxiliary fuel tank on the bottom of the truck.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei said all four were undocumented migrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
What they're saying:
"As the Department cracks down on human smuggling and illegal immigration, we can expect smugglers to get more desperate, and thus more creative," Ganjei said. "I would like to thank the jury for their service."
Mercado said he had gone to the Rio Grande Valley to trade baseball cards and other collectibles. He said he was not aware people were stashed inside the truck.
What's next:
Mercado faces up to five years in federal prison for each count and a possible maximum fine of $250,000. He's scheduled to be sentenced on June 11.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the U.S. district attorney's office.