A Guatemalan man is facing deportation and possible prison time after he was caught smuggling illegal immigrants while speeding in Utah, according to federal charges.
Federal prosecutors claim Mariano Hernandez-Gonzalez was transporting 10 Guatemalan nationals from Los Angeles to Morganton, N.C., when he was stopped by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper for speeding on Aug. 15 in Summit County.
His minivan was clocked going 80 mph in a 65 mph zone when the trooper pulled the vehicle over, charges state. Initially Hernandez-Gonzalez produced a Baja, Calif., Mexico, driver's license which had a different name, but was unable to produce any documentation for his residency in the United States. The trooper also noted that Hernandez-Gonzalez was having trouble understanding English.
All 11 people were asked to step out of the vehicle, and the trooper reported noticing several bottles of bottles of liquid inside the minivan that appeared to be urine. A middle seat was also wet and had a strong urine odor. It was explained to officers that the group only made stops to gas up the vehicles and for no other reason.
Hernandez-Gonzalez claimed to be a Mexican citizen from Tijuana but later interviews by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents determined Hernandez-Gonzalez and all others were from Guatemala.
Although Hernandez-Gonzalez was found with $1,465 in his wallet, he insisted to agents that he was not being paid to drive the passengers to North Carolina.
ICE agents also found indications that the minivan is part of a larger smuggling operation. A license check showed that the minivan was owned by a man in Morganton, N.C. Agents also reported another minivan owned by the same man was involved in an immigration investigation in May of 2005. Further record searches showed that a total of six minivans were registered to the same person.
E-mail: gfattah@desnews.com