Oklahoma trucker charged after 42 migrants found locked in hot tractor-trailer at Texas checkpoint

article

FALFURRIAS, TX - JULY 24 : A sign on the road in Brooks County warns of smuggling illegal aliens on July 24, 2014 in Falfurrias, TX. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

An out-of-state truck driver faces federal charges following a failed human smuggling attempt involving 42 migrants who were found trapped inside a hot, locked tractor-trailer at a South Texas Border Patrol checkpoint, federal prosecutors announced Monday.

Mass human smuggling attempt

Juan Nasario-Reyes, 43, of Beaver, Oklahoma, was charged with smuggling numerous undocumented migrants and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to a statement from Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck for the Southern District of Texas. Nasario-Reyes was scheduled to make his initial court appearance Tuesday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason B. Libby in Corpus Christi.

The backstory:

The incident began Saturday, May 16, when Nasario-Reyes drove a white Volvo tractor-trailer into the Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita. According to the criminal complaint, federal agents noticed Nasario-Reyes exhibiting nervous behavior. Although he allegedly claimed the commercial vehicle was empty and that he was traveling alone, a service K-9 alerted authorities to the tractor's sleeper berth and the front section of the trailer.

During a second inspection, law enforcement officers found four migrants hidden inside the cab area and another 38 individuals packed inside the trailer.

Federal prosecutors alleged the trailer had been latched shut from the outside, leaving the occupants with no means of escape. Inside the trailer, authorities found water bottles, trash, a cushion, and a bucket used for urination. The temperature inside the enclosed trailer was recorded at about 92.5 degrees.

The rescued migrants are citizens of Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Cuba, and Brazil, according to federal charges.

During the search of the truck's cab, investigators found about 16 grams of methamphetamine, a glass pipe, and a glass funnel hidden inside a headphone box, the complaint stated.

What's next:

If convicted of the human smuggling offenses, Nasario-Reyes faces up to five years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. The drug distribution charge carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.

Federal authorities confirmed that 13 of the migrants discovered in the vehicle have been charged with immigration offenses, including illegal entry or reentry. The remaining individuals are expected to face immediate removal proceedings.