Sullivan City man accused of smuggling Iraqis

Associated Press - March 18, 2009 9:45 PM ET

McALLEN, Texas (AP) - A Sullivan City man accused of smuggling three Iraqis into the United States is set to appear for a detention hearing tomorrow.

Prosecutors allege 28-year-old Juan De Dios Martinez Vela sneaked the men across the Rio Grande as part of a smuggling network with links to the Middle East.

U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered the men inside Martinez's pickup truck when he was stopped March 12 north of Los Ebanos in Hidalgo County.

The (McAllen) Monitor reports defense attorney Jesus Maria Alvarez declined to discuss the case today because he hasn't had a chance to fully review the facts.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, the men told agents that they had each paid $20,000 to an Iraqi smuggler to coordinate their trip to the United States.

The men remained in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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