A former Los Angeles police officer has admitted to attempting to smuggle a Mexican citizen into the U.S. by fitting her into the spare-tire well of his SUV in March 2015, according to Justice Department documents. Carlos Curiel Quezada Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to smuggling charges after hiding 26-year-old Antanasio Perez Avalos in his 2014 Nissan Juke.

Quezada’s girlfriend, 31-year-old Angelica Godinez, was his front-seat passenger. They both presented their U.S. passports and didn’t declare anything on their customs forms. A customs officer, for an unknown reason, referred them for a more intensive inspection. When officers checked the vehicle, an imaging device picked up an unusual read on the rear cargo area of the vehicle.

Godinez pleaded guilty to lying on an application for court-appointed counsel. Both are scheduled for sentencing in August.

—Olivia Messer