Nicholas J. Ganjei United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A man from Jonesboro, Arkansas, has been sentenced to federal prison for transporting illegal aliens. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei after a jury found Noel Mercado guilty of alien smuggling on March 11.
Mercado, aged 48, received a sentence of 36 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release from U.S. District Judge David S. Morales. During the sentencing, evidence showed that two individuals were bolted inside the wheel well of a pickup truck. The court described the circumstances as egregious and noted that the individuals had been “treated like trash.”
The incident occurred on January 5 when Mercado approached the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint in Texas in a Ford F-350. Authorities observed signs of nervousness and conducted an x-ray scan following a K-9 alert. This revealed two individuals hidden in wheel well compartments and two more inside an auxiliary fuel tank. All four were identified as illegal aliens from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
During his trial, Mercado claimed he was in the Rio Grande Valley to trade collectibles and was unaware of the concealed individuals. The jury rejected his testimony and found him guilty.
“As we continue our successful campaign to secure the border, human smugglers are going to get increasingly desperate,” said Ganjei. “No matter how creative they think they are in their methods, our law enforcement partners are always one step ahead.”
Mercado will remain in custody until he is transferred to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The investigation was conducted by Customs and Border Protection with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Lamont and Ashley Pruitt.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, an initiative aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime.
