Man Convicted of Smuggling Charges
A smuggler of migrant workers who fled from authorities by driving the wrong way on a freeway before ramming head-on into a CHP cruiser was convicted of smuggling and drug charges Thursday.
Jovanni Mendoza, 25, faces a possible 18-year prison term for trying to smuggle in 700 pounds of marijuana and five undocumented immigrants last year on Interstate 8 in the mountains east of San Diego, according to authorities.
No one was injured in the accident, after which Mendoza escaped.
He was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents a few weeks later after an intense manhunt.
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