Houston man pleads guilty to smuggling 14 undocumented immigrants, killing one in Brooks County chase


By Michelle Villarreal
Posted August 6, 2012 at 5:21 p.m., updated August 6, 2012 at 6:21 p.m.
Corpus Christi Caller Times



FALFURRIAS — A Houston man pleaded guilty Monday to transporting 14 undocumented immigrants, one of which was pinned under a vehicle and died after a law enforcement chase.

Falfurrias Border Patrol agents were advised to be on the lookout for a white Ford F-250 truck in February carrying undocumented immigrants, according to a news release. On Feb. 9, agents saw the truck traveling north on Farm-to-Market Road 1538 in Brooks County with several people inside and in the bed, according to the release.

When agents tried to pull the truck over, the driver sped off, driving through a private fence onto a ranch. When the truck stopped, agents saw several injured people on the ground near the vehicle, and a body was pinned under a front tire, according to the release.

Leonel Alvaro Abundis-Carreon, 22, admitted to Homeland Security Investigation agents that he was the driver and was being paid $125 for each person he smuggled. He will be sentenced Oct. 30 and faces as many as 20 years in prison and as much as a $250,000 fine. He has been in custody since his arrest.

Houston man pleads guilty to smuggling 14 undocumented immigrants, killing one in Brooks County chase » Corpus Christi Caller-Times