Pair in Grand Forks accused of smuggling immigrants

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This article was published 15/11/2018 (1987 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Two men have been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle Mexicans into the United States at the Canadian border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) made the arrests Nov. 3 at the Pembina and Dunseith, N.D., ports of entry, news releases said.

Alfredo Santana Mercedes, 41, was arrested at Pembina. Pedro Hernandez Guarnizo, 50, of Colombia was taken into custody at Dunseith. Both have been charged in federal court with harbouring and transporting an alien.

According to officials, Santana, who is a U.S. citizen, was driving a rental vehicle at approximately 8:45 p.m. on Nov. 3 into North Dakota when he was stopped at the Canadian border by CBP agents. He said he had flown to Fargo, N.D., from his North Carolina home, rented a car, visited friends in Winnipeg for one hour and was returning to the U.S., according to court documents.

“Due to inconsistencies in his story, the man was sent inside for further inspection,” the release said. Upon searching the vehicle, agents found an excess of luggage, including some containing women’s clothing.

Meanwhile, CBP located two Mexican citizens who had allegedly entered the U.S. illegally near Noyes, Minn., a small town just south of Emerson, court documents show.

Prosecutors allege Santana picked up Ernesto Gutierrez Torres, 39, and Gladis Villa Nunez, 34, in Winnipeg and dropped them off near the Canada-U.S. border.

Mercedes told officers he intended to pick the two up in the U.S., court documents show.

Torres and Nunez had applied for visitor visas three times in the past, but were denied because they reportedly admitted to residing illegally in North Carolina from 2002 to 2006, prosecutors said. The married couple have two children (ages 13 and 15) who were born in the U.S. and live in Oxford, N.C.

The couple reportedly told authorities they flew to Canada from Mexico City with plans to cross into the U.S.

Earlier that day at the Dunseith port of entry, Guarnizo was driving a 2011 Hyundai Sonata when officers stopped him at 1:39 p.m. and searched his trunk, officials said.

Border agents found Angel Gabriel Gallardo Salazar, 39, of Mexico, hiding in the vehicle, according to court documents. Guarnizo and Salazar had planned to book a flight to Atlanta from Minot, N.D.

Salazar reportedly admitted to not having the proper paperwork to be in the U.S. legally, prosecutors said.

“These arrests demonstrate CBP’s vigilance and dedication to securing the homeland,” said Jason McFadden, Dunseith port director. “CBP officers continue to demonstrate daily vigilance and excellence in detecting those who would try to smuggle.”

The CBP’s Grand Forks detachment covers more than 1,300 kilometres of international border, the most of any sector in the country, employing 189 agents, according to 2017 statistics.

— Grand Forks Herald