SEATTLE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A Romanian man has pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Seattle to a human smuggling scheme across the border near Blaine.

U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman says 27-year-old Daniel Andronache was arrested in Nov. 2023 after picking up 12 Romanian citizens who had illegally crossed the border from Canada.

Andronache and a colleague drove the group, including two children in the trunk of the car, until they were stopped by Border patrol agents.

In his plea agreement, Andronache admitted to helping the group so they could stay illegally in the United States.

Gorman says there’s been a recent surge in human smuggling attempts across the northern border.

Andronache is scheduled for sentencing on June 12.