A man charged with heading a ring that smuggled thousands of Romanians into the United States has pleaded not guilty to federal charges.
Luigi Popescu entered pleas Monday in federal court in San Diego, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
He was arrested on a warrant Friday in Romania and extradited to San Diego over the weekend.
Popescu, who’s from a village in Romania, allegedly coordinated a network of guides, drivers and stash houses to bring Romanians into the U.S. from both the northern and southern borders, including a route from Mexico to California, prosecutors said.
Romanians heading to California from Mexico would usually stay in various houses near the San Ysidro and Calexico ports of entry, the Union-Tribune reports.
Prosecutors say the immigrants were charged $10,000 to $25,000.
