Thread: 3 Houstonians charged in smuggling scheme that ended in wrec

3 Houstonians charged in smuggling scheme that ended in wreck
By DALE LEZON HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Dec. 3, 2009, 1:49PM

Three Houston residents have been arrested and accused of transporting illegal immigrants after a pickup truck carrying the people plunged 40 feet from a roadway and injured them in Jim Wells County in South Texas.

Patricio Rebollar Jr., 28, Herman Valdez, 29, and Nancy Martinez, 25, are charged in a criminal complaint with transporting undocumented immigrants, according to federal authorities.

Of the 17 undocumented immigrants in the accident, five remain hospitalized with serious injuries and the others have been treated at hospitals and released into federal custody.

Rebollar, who was allegedly driving the pickup, was hospitalized with unknown injuries.

According to officials, the complaint states that on Nov. 24 the pickup veered from the road, smashed through a fence and then careened over a 40-foot embankment.

The 17 passengers were later determined to be undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala.

Investigators later discovered that Valdez and Martinez were allegedly riding in a Dodge Charger which was serving as a scout vehicle for the pickup when the crash occurred, according to federal officials.

A scout vehicle is one often used to divert law enforcement during illegal smuggling operations, officials said.

Rebollar was arrested after he was hospitalized.

Valdez and Martinez were arrested the following day in Houston.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 51468.html

John Cornyn, are you listening?

I just emailed this story to ten US Senate offices.