McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A Mexican national must serve two years in prison for smuggling migrants through an operation that used fake Union Pacific trucks in the South Texas border town of Laredo.
Jesus Aleman-Serrano, 34, pleaded guilty in a human smuggling conspiracy and is expected to face removal from the United States after he serves his prison term, U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani announced Friday.
Two other Laredo residents involved in the operation — Edison Alfredo Escalante, 23, and Clarissa Villarreal, 29 — were previously sentenced to 18 months in prison and time served.
Officials say law enforcement in February saw a truck with Union Pacific decals attempt to bypass the checkpoint on Interstate 35 north of Laredo where they determined the stickers were fake. Escalante was driving and after stopping the vehicle, officers found eight migrants concealed under a compartment in the bed of the truck, Hamdani said.
The compartment was hidden beneath a metal grate that had plywood and a 102-pound generator resting on top, he said.
Three more women were found locked in another small, hidden compartment in the truck, he said.
“Moving 11 individuals in dangerously cramped conditions inside a vehicle not only reflects the callousness of these operations but underscores the serious risk to life — where even a minor accident could have led to a tragic outcome,” Hamdani said. “Our efforts, including uncovering two stash houses used by the smuggling organization, send a clear message: We will continue to disrupt and dismantle these dangerous networks to protect lives and uphold the law.”
The migrants were from Mexico and Honduras.
Hamdani says evidence found on Escalante’s cellphone revealed his connections to Cartel del Noreste and showed his participation in planning the smuggling event and purchasing the Union Pacific decals.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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