A 38-year-old Texas man faces dozens of criminal charges after he was arrested for trying to smuggle 84 illegal immigrants across the U.S. border into the cargo area of a dump truck.
Robert Flores Jr. of Poteet was taken into custody Tuesday morning after being inspected for a commercial vehicle along Interstate 35 in Cotulla, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The Texas DPS said in a statement, “Further investigation found that Flores drove through a private ranch road that bypassed a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Webb County.
“A number of people fled the cargo area of the truck into the bushes during the stop,” the statement added. “Troopers found 84 illegal immigrants hiding inside the cargo area.”
Texas authorities arrest driver carrying illegal immigrants across US border
Flores Jr. was subsequently indicted on 84 counts of smuggling.
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The trucks were immigrants from Guatemala and Mexico who were handed over to U.S. Border Patrol, Texas DPS said.
Images from the scene show dozens of migrants exiting the backseat of a dump truck after it stops. All are young men.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.