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Published February 16, 2007

Mexican man charged with bringing 14 illegal aliens to U.S.

News-Leader

A Mexican national was charged today in federal court in Springfield with transporting illegal aliens, said Bradley J. Schlozman, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Jose Tomas Cuautle-Robles, 37, a citizen of Mexico, was charged in a federal criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield with transporting 14 illegal aliens across the United States.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s criminal complaint, a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper stopped a 1999 Plymouth Voyager van on Interstate 44 on Feb. 11, 2007. The driver of the van fled the vehicle and escaped on foot, leaving behind 16 passengers in the vehicle.

Cuautle-Robles was a passenger in the front seat of the vehicle. There were four seats in the vehicle with seat belts; the remaining 13 passengers were required to ride while sitting on the floor. According to the affidavit, all of the windows except the front driver/passenger window and the front windshield were completely covered with black spray paint. Officers also found a urine-filled bottle, food wrappers, trash and empty beverage containers.

Cuautle-Robles told officers that he crossed the border with 14 of the passengers in the vehicle. Several passengers told law enforcement officers that they had paid between $700 and $2,000 to be transported from Arizona to New York, St. Louis and Indianapolis.