Five Mexican Citizens Charged After Arrest in Investigation into Suspected Alien Smuggling in Glacier County

GREAT FALLS—Five Mexican citizens who were arrested on November 17 in Glacier County by law enforcement investigating suspected alien smuggling appeared in court today on immigration-related charges, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

The five defendants were among a total of 19 suspected aliens who were picked up and transported to the Sweetgrass Border Patrol Station for processing.

Four of the defendants, Alberto Guillen-Gordillo, 22, Omero Banderas-Rodriguez, 39, Josue Bermudez-Lopez, 26, and Samuel Velasco-Tovar, 28, had an initial appearance on a criminal complaint before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston. The complaint charges the four with illegal transport of aliens and with conspiracy to transport aliens. If convicted of the most serious crime, the defendants face a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

A fifth defendant, Ma Mercedes Rivera-Gutierrez, 39, had an initial appearance on a criminal complaint charging her with illegal reentry. If convicted of the most serious crime, Rivera-Gutierrez faces a maximum two years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

All defendants were detained pending further proceedings.

Court documents filed in the case said that in October, law enforcement received information about suspicious room rental activity at a Cut Bank hotel by several Mexican nationals over approximately the prior six months. The investigation led Border Patrol agents to suspect a group of aliens was coming into the country illegally from Canada. On November 17, agents made near-simultaneous traffic stops of two SUVs at about 11:15 p.m. In the first vehicle, driven by Omero Banderas-Rodriguez, were nine passengers. During the stop of the second vehicle, all occupants ran into a nearby field. Agents found eight individuals in the field within a few minutes. One of the persons arrested in the field was Josue Bermudez Lopez. Another defendant, Alberto Guillen-Gordillo, was arrested at the hotel room where the subjects had been staying.

Border Patrol agents arrested Rivera-Gutierrez during a search of the field for occupants who ran from the vehicle.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff Starnes, Paulette Stewart and Ethan Plaut are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol and the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office.

The complaints are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Pacer case reference. MJ-19-82 and MJ-19-83.

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To establish a PACER account, which will allow you to review documents filed in the case, please go to, http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the district court’s calendar, please go to https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.