Eugenio Delgado-Rivera, Unlawful Re-entry, Miss 2024

Gulfport, Miss. — Eugenio Delgado-Rivera, 48, a Mexican national with a violent criminal past, pleaded guilty today to unlawfully re-entering the United States after being twice deported for drug-related felonies. The guilty plea, entered before U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr., marks the latest chapter in a long trail of border violations and federal offenses stretching back nearly two decades.

Delgado-Rivera was pulled over on December 28, 2017, for speeding on Interstate-10 in Jackson County, Mississippi, driving a rented Nissan Altima. Officers with the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team quickly realized something was off: he had no driver’s license and presented a Mexican ID under a false name. U.S. Border Patrol was called in, and within minutes, Delgado-Rivera admitted he was in the country illegally — again.

Records show Delgado-Rivera was first ordered removed by a U.S. immigration judge and physically expelled from the country on October 5, 2000. He returned illegally, then in 2007 was convicted in the Eastern District of North Carolina of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine — a charge that qualifies as an aggravated felony. After serving time in federal prison, he was deported a second time on April 21, 2009. He re-entered the U.S. illegally once more, evading authorities for years.

Investigators uncovered that during his repeated stints in the U.S., Delgado-Rivera used or was known by more than 10 different aliases — a tactic often used by fugitives and cartel-linked operatives to avoid detection. His pattern of re-entry, drug trafficking, and identity manipulation paints a picture of a man operating with brazen disregard for U.S. law.

He now faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for June 5, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris is prosecuting the case, which was jointly investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol, and the Gautier Police Department.

“Those who have violated our immigration laws and continue to do so with impunity will be met by this office with swift prosecution and punishment,” said U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst. “If drug dealers like this defendant continue to cross our borders illegally, we will have a jail cell waiting for them when they arrive. Such arrogant disregard for our laws will not be tolerated, as we will do all we can to protect our country and our people.”​