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[Updated] Laredo Trucks Drivers, Others Charged in Massive Human Smuggling Scheme

They are believed to have smuggled hundreds of illegal immigrants into the United States but now, 41 truck drivers, guides, brokers, recruiters and smuggling leaders are facing criminal charges.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents started the investigation in Laredo but made the arrests across several American cities over the last seven weeks.

Investigators said the group used truck drivers to smuggle at least 376 illegal immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras into the United States.

Most of the immigrants were discovered tractor trailers and attempting to pass through different checkpoints in and around Laredo.

Most of the discoveries were made during routine inspections after they noticed suspicious activity coming from inside the trailers or they were alerted by on-site canines on duty.

Each immigrant allegedly paid $500 to $3,000 depending on their destination.

All 41 of the accused human smugglers have already appeared before a federal judge to face formal charges and have been provided a court date to plead their case.

UPDATE
From WOAI Channel 4

Most of the truck drivers arrested were from the U.S. Those arrested also include smuggling guides, brokers, recruiters and organizational heads.

Forget the border fence – Smugglers at U.S. border build an underground world

The tunnel opening cut into the floor of a shipping container here drops three levels, each accessible by ladders, first a metal one and then two others fashioned from wood pallets. The tunnel stretches 1,300 feet to the south, crossing the Mexican border some 50 feet below ground and proceeding to a sky-blue office building in sight of the steel-plated border
fence.Three or four feet wide and six feet high, the passageway is illuminated by compact fluorescent bulbs (wired to the Mexican side), supported by carefully placed wooden beams and kept dry by two pumps. The neatly squared walls, carved through solid rock, bear the signs of engineering skill and professional drilling tools.

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1.400 pound shipment of pot seized!

Editor’s Note: Business as usual and absolutely nothing to do with the cross border issue. It show ICE and CBP are on the ball as usual! Maybe it is time to decriminalize the shit and put these guys out of business. But then, that would be too simple a solution.

Two brothers from Mexico were arrested after federal agents noticed that a tractor trailer had illegally entered the United States “in an area popular with smugglers,” according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials

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