Prosecutors: Texas Man Smuggled Immigrants Into The US In Furniture
CORPUS CHRISTI (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — In all, 6 people were found in a plastic-wrapped dresser and sofa, now a Texas man is going to prison for human trafficking.
The Houston-area man must serve nearly two years in prison for trying to smuggle the immigrants into the U.S. in furniture.
Federal prosecutors say 23-year-old Yabar Ayan Portes-Arevalo of Katy was sentenced Monday in Corpus Christi to 21 months behind bars.
Portes-Arevalo in February was convicted of transporting illegal immigrants and endangering their lives. He could lose his status as a legal permanent U.S. resident.
Investigators say Portes-Arevalo in December was driving a pickup truck and hauling a plastic-wrapped couch and dresser. He stopped at the Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita and the Baffin Bay.
Authorities say the driver appeared nervous so the load was examined. Agents removed the plastic and found three people hidden inside the couch and three more inside the dresser.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)