BULLARD —
BULLARD — A routine traffic stop sent two men to jail and broke a link in a human smuggling chain.
Around midnight on Thursday, Bullard patrol officer Stuart Alexander pulled over a vehicle for a burned out license plate light, police chief Gary Don Lewis said.
According to police reports, Cayetano Torres-Rodriguez, of Pasadena, was driving the vehicle on U.S. Highway 69 with Victor Guzman, of Houston, in the passenger seat. In the back were nine illegal immigrants, and both men had conflicting stories concerning why the people were in the back, police said.
Lewis said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) allege the two men were paid $450 per head to transport the immigrants from Houston to Atlanta, Georgia.
Lewis said Guzman is a legal citizen while Torres-Rodriguez is in the country illegally.
Both are held in Smith County jail, charged with criminal conspiracy, a state jail felony, and smuggling of persons, a third degree felony. Each charge carries a $1 million bond.
“The others are being detained right now, but they are not being charged with anything,” Lewis said. “The federal ICE is going to pick those cases up, document them and return them back to Mexico.”
Lewis said ICE will carry on the investigation from here.
“What they will do is they will pick up those charges and file them federally,” he said. “They won't dismiss them, they will take them to a federal grand jury in a month or two.”
Lewis said these men, likely, were not high up in the smuggling chain.
“More than likely they (the immigrants) paid $3,000 or $4,000 a piece to get over here,” he said. “Someone made some money somewhere besides the transport. There’s no telling, I don't know what the going rate is.”
Local News
December 27, 2011
Two go to jail on immigration charges
- Local News
-
-
Tornado watch sparks concern; thunderstorms kill power, knock over tree limbs, wall of downtown building
-
Wells man arrested on suspicion of second-degree felony sexual assault
-
Welcome Home
- HEALTH: New electronic record system meant to give doctors instant access to patient information
- Keep safe during a tornado
-
Gutted Yum-Yums building should be torn down ‘soon’
- Gardening project will delight nursing home residents
- Coming Saturday: House Of Israel: Who is Robert Fox? Can Richard McLaren tell us?
- Pasadena motorist dies in Cherokee County early Saturday
- JEDCO can spend up to $1.1 million to help company expand, create more local jobs
- More Local News Headlines
-
Sheriff: No Sign Killing of 2 Kids Was Planned
Obama Defends Drone Strikes, With Limits
Raw: Jurors Deadlock on Jodi Arias Penalty
Boy Scouts Decision "First Step" Say Activists
Raw: Utah Teen Arrested in Death of His Brothers
Closer Look at Okla. School Where Children Died
Two Suspects in Murder Known to London Police
Boy Scouts Mom Supports Gay Inclusiveness
"Be Ready": NOAA Warns of Busy Hurricane Season
SeaWorld: Penguins Are Coolest Thing in Florida
Obama Renews Call to Close Gitmo
Obama Offers Drone Strike Defense
Raw: Heckler Interrupts Obama on Guantanamo
A Slice of Apple History Up for Grabs
