South Texas: 51 undocumented migrants found smuggled in refrigerated produce truck

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(Photo by Bernd Wüstneck/picture alliance via Getty Images)

LAREDO, Texas - A man who authorities say was in the U.S. illegally is facing federal charges after being accused of smuggling more than four dozen people, including two juveniles, in a cramped, hidden compartment of a refrigerated produce truck in South Texas.

Greivein Alexis Pinot-Duarte, 50, a Honduran national, made his initial appearance in Laredo federal court Tuesday morning on charges related to the alleged human smuggling operation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

Human Smuggling

The backstory:

The charges stem from an incident on Nov. 22, when Pinot-Duarte allegedly drove a refrigerated tractor-trailer to a Border Patrol checkpoint near Freer, which is between Corpus Christi and Laredo. Authorities became suspicious due to his nervous behavior, and a K-9 allegedly alerted to the presence of humans or narcotics at the rear doors, according to the complaint.

During a secondary inspection, law enforcement found the trailer contained boxes of produce and was cooled to 55 degrees. They allegedly noticed a silhouette of a person through a plywood compartment under the boxes.

A subsequent search revealed 51 people, including two juveniles, concealed in the hidden compartment, the complaint alleges. Many of the individuals reportedly lacked jackets and complained of numbed or cramped limbs due to the confined space. 

The compartment was small, allowing only one person to exit at a time, and the weight of the produce boxes, estimated at 30 to 40 pounds each, prevented escape.

What's next:

If convicted, Pinot-Duarte faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.