Texas Department of Public Safety troopers discovered two illegal aliens in the trunk of a car during a traffic stop in Kinney County.
The driver, Vanesa Gutierrez, consented to the search, which led to the discovery. Both Gutierrez and her passenger, Crisol Bernice Reyes, from Fort Worth, were arrested for human smuggling.
Troopers also found a firearm inside the vehicle. The two illegal aliens were handed over to the Border Patrol for processing.
Earlier this summer, American Faith reported that a former official from the Starr County District Attorney’s Office pleaded guilty to smuggling illegal immigrants from the border in a government vehicle.
Bernice Annette Garza had been charged with conspiracy to transport people illegally within the United States.
Garza was arrested on December 7, 2022, during a traffic stop near Victoria when four illegal aliens were found inside the District Attorney’s office vehicle at that time.
Also in the car with Garza were Magaly Rosa and her husband, Juan Antonio Charles.
Rosa told authorities that Garza had recruited her to smuggle migrants in her county vehicle and said Garza provided fraudulent court papers that identified migrants as crime victims.
According to a criminal complaint, the couple operated their home as a stash hou