Man pleads guilty to smuggling charge

During a court appearance in Sioux City on Thursday, a Mexican national pleaded guilty to several charges, including smuggling other illegals into Iowa last fall. 24-year-old Florencio Mendoza Mercado admitted he’d been deported before and returned illegally when he was caught in Monona County in October while driving a vanload of illegal aliens. If convicted, Mercado faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison and a 500-thousand dollar fine.