Two men have been charged with human smuggling after authorities found 55 undocumented immigrants hidden inside a compartment of a produce trailer, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas.
Brandon Lajohn Hargrove, 43, from Houston, and Jose Luis Castellanos-Hercules, 21, who is identified as an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, are accused of transporting nearly six dozen individuals from Mission to Zapata in a box truck. Both suspects have appeared in court and are scheduled for detention hearings on September 25 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott Hacker.
Authorities stopped the box truck near San Ygnacio on September 19 with Hargrove driving. He reportedly told officers he was hauling boxes and opened the back to display produce. Law enforcement then saw Castellanos-Hercules inside the trailer and conducted a further search. According to the criminal complaint, officers discovered a hidden compartment containing 55 people from Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela, Honduras, El Salvador, China, India, Colombia and Ecuador. Three of those found were under the age of 17.
Court documents state that those concealed had to crawl through a small door behind a false wall to exit. The access door was blocked by heavy pallets which prevented them from leaving without assistance.
Hargrove allegedly collected the group from a stash house in Mission that authorities had previously linked to smuggling operations.
“The Southern District of Texas takes a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal immigration, including those who transport or otherwise enable alien smuggling,” said Ganjei. “Our message on this point has been consistent and clear: smuggling is a dangerous and often deadly business, and one should neither engage in human smuggling nor seek smuggling services. People overseas would be well-advised to stay home and stay safe.”
If convicted on these charges, both defendants could face up to ten years in federal prison and fines up to $250,000.
Several individuals found in the truck are also facing charges related to illegal entry or reentry into the United States.
The Border Patrol led the investigation into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devin V. Walker is prosecuting.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America—an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration and targeting organized crime groups associated with human trafficking and violent crime by combining resources from programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation; defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty through legal proceedings.
