Related Federal Cases
- Shannon Tecoko Mays, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Texas, 2012 · Texas
- William Johnson, Murder and RICO Conspiracy, Minneapolis MN, 2023 · Tennessee
- Tren de Aragua Leaders Unsealed, Terror Cartel Crimes, Texas, 2023 · Nebraska
- Dantrell Johnson, RICO Conspiracy, Minneapolis MN, 2023 · Tennessee
- Eduardo Ravelo Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy, El Paso TX… · North Carolina
Defendant Name, Crime, State Year
LAREDO, Texas – A federal jury convicted Jesus Lopez Cabrera, of Haileah, Fla., of conspiracy to transport and the transportation of undocumented persons, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.
The verdict was announced earlier today in U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña’s court after less than two hours of deliberation. Lopez Cabrera worked for Tiger Express Services Inc., a small trucking company with five to six drivers that moved various cargo, including human beings like cargo.
During the trial, the jury heard testimony that drivers were caught with undocumented persons in the back of their vehicles on July 27, 2012; Oct. 11, 2012; Oct. 27, 2012; and Nov. 9, 2012, at various checkpoints in South Texas. The tractors and trailers used in these events were cross-referenced to other drivers in the company.
Specifically, Lopez Cabrera was caught at the I-35 Border Patrol Checkpoint north of Laredo with 14 undocumented persons in the back of his tractor trailer. These persons were packed like cargo in a small space between wooden crates with little room to move. The tractor trailer had a Tiger Express Services Inc. logo on it and was registered to Lopez Cabrera.
Evidence also proved Lopez Cabrera purchased a trailer in McAllen on Oct. 3, 2012. This trailer was used to haul 13 undocumented persons on Nov. 9, 2012. These persons were packed in small spaces amongst tomatoes. Two of these persons had also received a ride in the back of a Tiger Express trailer driven on Oct. 27, 2012.
The people transported by Lopez Cabrera and others described the same pattern of operation for this organization. They were crossed into the United States, housed for a couple of days and then taken to the brush along an isolated road near McAllen and were told to wait for a trailer. When a trailer arrived, they ran into the back. They never saw the drivers.
Lopez Cabrera is expected to be sentenced in the late Spring of 2013, at which time he will face up to 10 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. He has been in custody since March 18, 2012.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in conjunction with the U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth R. Rabe and James Bruce Hepburn prosecuted the case.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Human Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News