CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A 48-year-old man from Jonesboro, Arkansas, will serve three years in federal prison for transporting undocumented migrants in dangerous hidden compartments of his pickup truck.
Noel Mercado was sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after being found guilty on two counts of alien smuggling.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales called the offense "egregious," noting that the smuggled individuals had been "treated like trash."
The conviction came after a jury deliberated for less than 30 minutes following a two-day trial on March 11.
Evidence presented in court showed that two individuals had been bolted inside the wheel well of Mercado's Ford F-350 pickup truck, while two others were hidden inside an auxiliary fuel tank.
On January 5, Mercado nearly drove past the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint when authorities noticed his jaw shaking and a stuttered response to questions. A K-9 unit alerted to the vehicle, prompting a secondary inspection where an x-ray scan revealed the four hidden individuals.
The four undocumented migrants were from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
"As we continue our successful campaign to secure the border, human smugglers are going to get increasingly desperate," said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
"No matter how creative they think they are in their methods, our law enforcement partners are always one step ahead," Ganjei said.
During the trial, Mercado claimed he had traveled to the Rio Grande Valley to trade baseball cards and collectibles, testifying he had no knowledge of the people concealed in the truck. The jury rejected this defense.
Mercado will remain in custody until transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration, cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
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