United States v. Valadez-Valadez

HARTZ, Circuit Judge.

On April 7, 2006, an officer of the New Mexico State Police stopped Defendant Ricardo Valadez-Valadez’s pickup truck along U.S. Highway 64 near Tierra Amar-illa, New Mexico. The officer testified that he stopped the truck because it was obstructing traffic by traveling too slowly. In the truck were 21 passengers, including some who were unlawfully in this country. Mr. Valadez-Valadez was indicted in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico for transporting illegal aliens. See 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(l)(A)(ii), (a)(l)(B)(I), (a)(l)(A)(v)(II). Contending…