NEWPORT — Salmen Hernandez-Ayala, 48, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced this week for transporting three people without permission into the United States, after being picked up in Derby back in May.
Hernandez-Ayala has been in custody since the arrest.
According to court records, Hernandez-Ayala hired a taxi in New York City and traveled to a location near the border, where he picked up three individuals who had illegally crossed into the U.S.
At around 3:00 a.m. border agents stopped the taxi on U.S. Route 5 in Derby and determined that Hernandez-Ayala, who was in the front passenger seat, as well as three people in the rear seat, were all illegally inside the United States.
Eliezer Esteban Gamez-Saban, 21, a citizen of Guatemala, was charged with illegal reentry into the United States after having previously been removed from the United States, a felony offense.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served.
Jorge Campos-Navarro, 21, a citizen of Mexico, and Bryan Antonio Cruz-Salvador, 20, a citizen of Mexico, were charged with illegal entry into the United States, a misdemeanor offense.
Both pled guilty and were sentenced to time served.
Hernandez-Ayala was sentenced this week to time served as well.
