McALLEN, Texas— Four illegal immigrants were found in the back of a Wal-Mart truck, and the driver and two alleged accomplices were accused of trying to smuggle them through a Border Patrol checkpoint.

Authorities acting on a tip arrested driver Alejandro Hernandez and two other suspects Thursday just south of a checkpoint at Falfurrias, authorities said. The four Mexican nationals in the trailer were also taken into custody.

Documents filed in federal court Monday allege that Hernandez, 50, unloaded a delivery at a Wal-Mart in McAllen, then stopped at a truck stop in nearby Edinburg where he picked up the four immigrants.

Authorities said Leonor Gomez, 29, and her mother, Santos Gomez Moreno, had brought the immigrants to that meeting point in their van.

The two women followed the Wal-Mart truck north, planning to transfer the immigrants back to the van after they all cleared the Border Patrol checkpoint, authorities said in court documents. The Falfurrias checkpoint is about an hour north of the border.

Wal-Mart assisted the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in identifying Hernandez’s truck after federal authorities were tipped to his activities.

Investigators said they believe Hernandez had used his truck to smuggle illegal immigrants through the checkpoint at least a half-dozen times.

“At Wal-Mart we expect our associates to conduct themselves in a lawful and ethical manner,” company spokesman Don Fogleman told The (McAllen) Monitor. “This situation is of deep concern.” He said Hernandez had been suspended without pay.

Hernandez’s attorney told The Monitor he had not yet had a chance to meet with his client.

San Diego jury finds man guilty of surfer’s murder

SAN DIEGO—A San Diego jury has convicted a man of murder for killing a professional surfer with a punch during a scuffle.

Seth Cravens was convicted Tuesday and could face life in prison when he is sentenced in January.

The 22-year-old Cravens said he acted in self-defense when he punched Emery Kauanui (KOW’-ah-noo-ee) in May 2007. The surfer hit his head when he fell down and was fatally injured outside his mother’s home in the wealthy seaside community of La Jolla.

Prosecutors say the scuffle stemmed from a dispute that started earlier at a bar.

Four other people initially were charged with murder but pleaded guilty to lesser charges and were sentenced in September to between 90 and 249 days in jail.

Associated Press reports