Sheriff’s Office detain tractor-trailer transporting illegal immigrants
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Aug 23, 2023, 0 Comments
Courtesy Victoria Luna,
Laredo, TX (Webb County) – Yesterday, Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at approximately 5:38 p.m. Sheriff’s Office Deputies conducted a motor vehicle stop on a male driver in a white tractor-trailer bearing expired 02/2020 Maine plates at the 32 mile marker of south bound Interstate 35 access road. Upon activating the emergency lights of the patrol unit, the tractor-trailer accelerated its speed and drove into Fuel America gas station circling the parking lot at a high rate of speed, ignoring the lights and sirens.
The tractor-trailer then drove back onto Interstate Highway 35 Southbound and continued to disregard the lights and sirens. The tractor continued southbound on Interstate Highway 35 driving on both inner and outer lanes never signaling lane change. Deputy Jose Ramirez set up at the 17-mile marker southbound with the spikes in an attempt to deflate the tractor tires, but the tractor drove around the spikes and continued southbound on Interstate Highway 35.
Upon approaching the 13-mile marker southbound, the tractor-trailer drove into the median and came to a complete stop. Several people exited the inside cab of the tractor-trailer and ran into the brush. Other Sheriff’s Office units and US Border Patrol units arrived at the scene to assist. Nineteen people, including two female juveniles that exited the cab, were apprehended and all identified as undocumented immigrants that had entered the US illegally.
The driver, Julio Hiram Garza from Laredo, was identified as the only US citizen. The Sheriff’s Office arrested Garza and remanded him to the Webb County Jail. He was charged with 2 counts of felony 2/ smuggling of person’s under the age of 18, 17 counts of felony 3/ smuggling of persons, evading arrest with vehicle felony 3, and evading arrest class A. “I congratulate my deputies for having a keen eye and stopping the tractor-trailer. Unfortunately, the death toll continues to rise as undocumented immigrants are transported in tractor-trailers in this heat. My deputies prevented what could have been a tragedy,” said Sheriff Martin Cuellar.
