Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers detained a guy near the border in Del Rio, Texas, on Friday for allegedly smuggling a 5-year-old child into the United States from Mexico.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, a trooper stopped a Dodge pickup truck near Del Rio after learning that a male had been apprehended by border patrol while bringing a child across the Rio Grande.
Lt. Chris Olivarez, a Texas DPS spokesperson, told Fox News that the 5-year-old child who was transported across the border was loaded into another smuggler’s vehicle and driven to a motel.
Troopers maintained an eye on the pickup truck before pulling it over and conducting a traffic check.
During the stop, troopers discovered the 5-year-old daughter was from Mexico and had recently been trafficked into the United States. The Trooper also identified the girl in the pickup truck by matching her image to the security film.
While asking the girl questions in Spanish, he pointed out the youngster’s bow, which was also visible in the video. The girl’s mother, Dolores Lopez, was also in the truck during the traffic stop.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the mother is a temporary resident of North Carolina and originally from Mexico.
Lopez informed troopers that she found a smuggling organization on the internet and agreed to have her daughter transported into the United States for $8,000.
Troops eventually apprehended the smuggler, who was identified as Roman Ibarra Rojo from Mexico. Rojo was accused of smuggling a person under the age of 18.
According to the Texas DPS, Rojo admitted that he would be paid $1,000 to smuggle the 5-year-old daughter into the United States.
Olivarez stated that Rojo was previously detained in 2022 for smuggling.
Lopez and her daughter were reported to the United States Border Patrol, with the recommendation that the mother be charged with endangering her kid. The district attorney will determine whether to prosecute the mother.
Reference: Texas troopers catch smuggler who allegedly carried 5-year-old girl across border