Human smuggler stopped in rigged pickup



A man who allegedly had 16 illegal immigrants in his pickup truck when he was stopped for speeding on I-17 now faces 16 counts of human smuggling.

Edgar O’Campo, 28, was stopped in Camp Verde about 6:15 a.m. Tuesday by a Yavapai County Sheriff’s Deputy. O’Campo had no driver’s license. The deputy examined his truck and found six people in the cab and 10 in the bed of the pickup. O’Campo told the deputy that the passengers were his friends, but he was unable to name any of them. Eventually, he admitted that he and his passengers all were illegal immigrants and were going to Flagstaff to find work.

While examining the pickup, the deputy found exposed wiring under the dashboard that connected to suspension components attached to the back of the vehicle. Authorities said that allowed the driver to compensate for the weight of humans in the bed of the truck and reduce the chances of a law enforcement officer becoming suspicious.

O’Campo was booked into the Camp Verde Jail. The other 16 were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
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