The drivers reportedly transported illegal immigrants from the Mexican border to Los Angeles. Some were transported in vehicles with specially-made hiding compartments under the hood.
The defendants told investigators they thought the African-American drivers, said to be hired in /*South Los Angeles*/, would arouse less suspicion.
The drivers' inability to communicate with the immigrants also meant they had limited information about the broader smuggling scheme, officials said.
The drivers were paid between $300 and $800 for each of the dozens of people they transported from the border to Los Angeles each month in 2010.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
