LAREDO, Texas —(PRESS RELEASE)
A Houston man pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to transport 119 noncitizens inside a tractor-trailer.
Brodrick Keith Rhodes, 32, from Houston, entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court.
Rhodes is expected to be sentenced July 27. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Rhodes is free on bond.
“This case is a glaring reminder that human smugglers are driven by greed and have little regard for the health and well-being of their human cargo, which can prove to be a deadly combination,” said Timothy Tubbs, deputy special agent in charge of HSI Laredo. “HSI is committed to aggressively target human smugglers and smuggling organizations who continually victimize people for profit.”According to court documents, on Jan. 12, Rhodes arrived at the Freer Border Patrol checkpoint driving a semi-truck and refrigerated trailer. He claimed he was hauling lettuce, but U. S. Border Patrol agents noticed discrepancies with his bill of lading.
They also noted he appeared nervous and the trailer was set to 30 degrees but with an internal temperature of 68 degrees. At secondary inspection agents discovered 119 illegal immigrants in the trailer’s cargo area.
Rhodes claimed he worked for a trucking business in La Porte, Texas, but the bill of lading indicated he was transporting lettuce from a Laredo, Texas, produce company to a location in Sugar Land, Texas.
The owner of the trucking business said Rhodes has never been employed by the company despite what he told Border Patrol agents.
The two additional companies, the produce company, and the food processing company, confirmed they had no record of the produce shipment.
The illegal immigrants told agents they had been taken to a truck and told to get in the trailer. It soon departed and did not stop until it reached the checkpoint, according to officials.