Laredo driver convicted of immigrant smuggling

Associated Press

LAREDO — A driver from Laredo has been convicted of hauling illegal immigrants after 15 people were found hiding in a trailer loaded with scrap auto parts.

A federal jury in Laredo on Tuesday convicted Juan Antonio Delgado, 36, of knowingly transporting undocumented immigrants by motor vehicle.

Border Patrol agents on March 9 stopped Delgado at an Interstate 35 checkpoint.

Prosecutors said agents discovered 15 Mexican nationals under a tarp inside the trailer.

Delgado, convicted on two charges, faces a maximum 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the counts. Sentencing is pending.