Eight arrested in human smuggling operation that allegedly transported migrants in suitcases and wat
CRIME
Eight arrested in human smuggling operation that allegedly transported migrants in suitcases and water tanks
BY GINA MARTINEZ
UPDATED ON: SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 / 8:45 PM / CBS NEWS
The Department of Justice said eight people were arrested for their alleged involvement in a human smuggling network near the Texas-Mexico border.
An indictment unsealed on Tuesday claims that the network — led by 31-year-old Erminia Serrano Piedra, also known as "Boss Lady" — made millions of dollars by illegally transporting migrants from Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia across the U.S.
Piedra and her co-conspirators — identified as Kevin Daniel Nuber, 41; Laura Nuber, 40; Lloyd Bexley, 51; Jeremy Dickens, 45; Katie Ann Garcia, 39; Oliveria Piedra-Campuzana, 53; and Pedro Hairo Abrigo, 33 — were arrested in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the DOJ said.
Migrants inside a wooden crate.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
According to the indictment, migrants and their family members paid the group to illegally transport them to the U.S. The group allegedly used drivers — who were paid up to $2,500 per migrant — to pick up the migrants near the U.S-Mexico border and harbor them at "stash houses" along the way as they transported them further into the states, the DOJ said.
More:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/human-smuggling-operation-justice-department-indictment-migrants-suitcases-water-tanks/
