Thread: AL:Texas vehicle bound for Chicago stopped in Limestone Coun

Deputy catches van full of illegals
Texas vehicle bound for Chicago stopped in Limestone County

By Holly Hollman
hhollman@decaturdaily.com · 340-2445

ATHENS — A Limestone County deputy caught 14 illegals crammed into a 12-passenger van Wednesday, and Sheriff Mike Blakely said the men didn't even have "one toothbrush between them."

Just before 3 p.m., Deputy Rick Oliver was patrolling Interstate 65 when he spotted the van at the 342 mile-marker near Interstate 565.

"The driver was driving erratically, and the Texas tag was expired," Oliver said.

Oliver also noticed the van had a Department of Transportation sticker, and he has certification to do inspections on DOT vehicles.

When Oliver looked inside, he found two drivers and 14 passengers. The two drivers have commercial driver licenses from Texas but are originally from Cuba.

"They said they left their green cards back home in Texas," Blakely said. "I don't know if they're really legal or not, but they knew what they were hauling. They're what we call coyotes."

Coyote is a term used to describe those who transport illegals.

According to their driver licenses, the two drivers are Josvany Perez Lopez, 31, of 13502 Verbena Lane, Houston, and Pavel Sarmiento Bello, 25, of 10300 Harwin 801, Houston.

The 14 passengers had no identification. They are Hispanic males who appear to be in their 20s and 30s. The van had the name Paisanos Van Lines painted on the door.

Blakely and Oliver said the drivers finally confessed that they were making $300 per passenger to transport the men from Houston to Chicago. They did not say where in Chicago they were going.

"The drivers had shaving kits, but the passengers had nothing, no luggage, nothing," Blakely said.

Oliver said the van left Houston on Tuesday night.

"I don't know if they got regular bathroom breaks," Oliver said. "The drivers told us they stopped to sleep at a rest stop in Mississippi."

Blakely said he is not charging either the passengers or the drivers but is holding them for Immigration and Naturalization Services.

"As a general rule, we get zero assistance from them on removing illegals unless they are charged with a felony and are to be deported after their sentences," Blakely said. "During President Clinton's administration, coyotes were prosecuted. Now, we can't get help."

The sheriff said the INS office in Birmingham was to pick up the drivers and passengers Wednesday night.

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You know the audacity of their driving a van with expired plates simply tells me they have little or no fear of being stopped. This one got stopped, how many more didn't?

I saw three vans, one was in tow, so two on the highway, no license plates at all, no stickers. They were being driven by people of 'Hispanic' orgin - could have been ME - but looked Mexican to me. The windows were covered with household items, giving the appearance they were stuffed full of such items - and could have been. Although, when I think about it, the items were just 'stuffed' in there - no folding, no type of arrangement. The items could very well have been to cover the windows, but appear innocent.

A DPS officer passed those three vans, went up the highway a piece and pulled over a newer automobile. He didn't even appear to give the vans a look-see. I watched as I certainly expected him to pull them over.

Originally Posted by nntrixie

You know the audacity of their driving a van with expired plates simply tells me they have little or no fear of being stopped. This one got stopped, how many more didn't?

I saw three vans, one was in tow, so two on the highway, no license plates at all, no stickers. They were being driven by people of 'Hispanic' orgin - could have been ME - but looked Mexican to me. The windows were covered with household items, giving the appearance they were stuffed full of such items - and could have been. Although, when I think about it, the items were just 'stuffed' in there - no folding, no type of arrangement. The items could very well have been to cover the windows, but appear innocent.

A DPS officer passed those three vans, went up the highway a piece and pulled over a newer automobile. He didn't even appear to give the vans a look-see. I watched as I certainly expected him to pull them over.

I have come to the conclusion that the police and others only pull over vehicles when they can be pretty sure the driver will pay the ticket i.e., someone driving a newer style car. This happens all the time in Chicago. I will see some beat-up old clunker being held together with duct tape being driven at 100 MPH and the cops will not bat an eye because they are too busy writing a ticket for some guy in a 2007 Honda who didn't use his turn signal. In Chicago, the police duties have been unoffically transferred from fighting crime to raising money for this corrupt city by issuing as many tickets as possible. If a Chicago cop had to choose between stopping an armed robbery or writing a parking ticket, what do you think he would do? No contest. And it isn't really their fault because this is what Mayor Ricardo Daley tells them to do.

In Chicago, the police duties have been unoffically transferred from fighting crime to raising money for this corrupt city by issuing as many tickets as possible.

Ain't that the truth? Now they want to put cameras along the highway here to bust people speeding in "work zones" even when there's no workers present. Heck they have stuff up from years ago that are still here and not one thing has been done. It's all about the money......