Honduran National Charged with Human Smuggling
A man from Honduras is facing charges in federal court after he reportedly tried to smuggle 51 undocumented immigrants in a refrigerated semi-truck close to the Mexican border, near Freer, Texas. If convicted, he could receive a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Nicholas J. Ganjay, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, shared details about the situation in a press release. He also mentioned that this case is part of over 230 criminal cases filed in Laredo, Texas, during the last week of November.
Alexis Pino-Duarte was brought before U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Quiroga shortly after his arrest by Border Patrol agents in Freer on November 22. Court records indicate he drove a semi-truck into a Border Patrol checkpoint and was then directed to a secondary inspection area after the agents noticed something suspicious. The dogs alerted agents to the presence of both humans and drugs inside the refrigerated trailer.
As Pino-Duarte tried to hand over documents to an inspector, he oddly insisted several times that he was carrying bananas. During the inspection of the trailer filled with produce, agents uncovered 51 undocumented individuals hiding beneath boxes in a cold compartment kept at about 55 degrees. Notably, among those found were two minors. Agents reportedly first got a glimpse of one person through a gap in the plywood.
Border Patrol officials stated that the individuals smuggled had no jackets or adequate protection from the cold and were experiencing numbness and spasms in their limbs due to the cramped conditions. The situation was particularly dangerous since only one person could exit the compartment at a time.
If found guilty, Pino-Duarte could face a decade in prison and a hefty fine of up to $250,000 for the felony of illegally transporting an alien. This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Division, with support from the U.S. Border Patrol. The Southern District of Texas has one of the most active prosecutorial districts, covering 43 counties and over 9 million residents.
