Four Mexicans charged with migrant smuggling
On Nov. 21, four Mexican citizens arrested on suspicion of human smuggling appeared in federal court in Great Falls, according to KTVQ. The defendants were among 19 illegal immigrants arrested by Sweetgrass Border Patrol Station agents, eight of which were captured after fleeing into a nearby field during a traffic stop of their SUV. A tip alerted the agents to the illegal crossing north of Cut Bank. Four of the defendants suspected of aiding the crossing—Alberto Guillen-Gordillo, 22; Omero Banderas-Rodriguez, 39; Josue Bermudez-Lopez, 26; and Samuel Velasco-Tovar, 28—face up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.