Truck driver sentenced to more than 3 years for smuggling illegal immigrants

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A 28-year-old truck driver was sentenced Wednesday to more than three years in federal prison for illegally transporting 51 illegal immigrants in the back of a tractor-trailer.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Corpus Christi, Texas, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Rene Garcia, a resident of San Benito, Texas, was sentenced on Jan. 26 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to 41 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Garcia pleaded guilty to the charges on Aug. 5, 2021.

In handing down the sentence, the judge took into consideration the nature and facts of the case and noted that Garcia had recently been convicted of transporting illegal immigrants in another case.

On May 13, 2021, Garcia arrived at the Falfurrias Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint driving a semi-truck and trailer. A K-9 alerted to the vehicle, which prompted authorities to refer the vehicle to secondary inspection.

Upon inspection, authorities found 51 illegal individuals hidden among pallets of onions in the back of the tractor-trailer. At least one of the illegal immigrants reported having a difficult time breathing in the trailer and there was no way to escape in the event of an emergency.

Garcia later admitted to making arrangements with someone in San Benito to smuggle the illegal immigrants through the Falfurrias checkpoint and then to Houston.

Garcia remains in custody pending transfer to a Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Overman prosecuted the case.