Arkansas man guilty of transporting illegal aliens in wheel well and fuel tank

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 48-year-old man from Jonesboro, Arkansas, has been convicted of unlawfully transporting four illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

The jury deliberated for less than 30 minutes following a less than two-day trial before finding Noel Mercado guilty on two counts of alien smuggling.

On the evening of Jan. 5, Mercado drove to the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint in a Ford F350 pickup truck. After a K-9 alerted to the vehicle, authorities referred him for further inspection. 

An x-ray scan revealed at least two individuals in the truck’s wheel wells – found bolted inside modified wheel well compartments. Law enforcement also discovered two more individuals in the auxiliary fuel tank below the truck bed. 

All four were illegal aliens from the countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala with no authority to be in the United States.  

At trial, Mercado claimed he had travelled to the Rio Grande Valley to trade baseball cards and other collectibles. He testified he had no idea any of the four individuals were concealed inside the truck he was driving. The jury did not believe his claims and found him guilty as charged.

“As the Department cracks down on human smuggling and illegal immigration, we can expect smugglers to get more desperate, and thus more creative,” said Ganjei. “I would like to thank the jury for their service.”

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales presided over the trial and set sentencing for June 11, at which time Mercado faces up to five years in federal prison for each count of conviction as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine. 

Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Lamont and Ashley Pruitt prosecuted the case.