Document: Truck driver offered $11,000 to transport immigrants to California and North TX
A routine traffic stop led to the arrest of the Georgia truck driver accused of transporting 23 undocumented immigrants and more than 200 pounds of pot.
The driver’s passenger was also arrested on criminal charges last Wednesday on I-10 East near the city limits.
The driver of the semi truck, 44-year-old Comothial Harper, a U.S. citizen from Bainbridge, Georgia, was arrested and charged with “transporting illegal aliens for financial gain.” Gerardo Aguilar-Roque, 35, one of the passengers, was arrested and charged with “possession with the intent to distribute marijuana.”
Court documents state sheriff’s deputies pulled Harper over because he failed to signal before the intersection of Gateway East and Eastlake. The sheriff’s deputies found two women and a man, in the U.S. illegally, in the sleeper cabin. Deputies notified Homeland Security agents, who allegedly found an additional 18 adult males and two unaccompanied juvenile males in the cargo trailer.
Officials said three of the undocumented immigrants were from Guatemala and 20 were from Mexico. The undocumented immigrants are in federal custody pending disposition of their immigration cases, officials said. Agents also found about 256 pounds of marijuana in the sleeper cabin, officials added.
Under interrogation, Harper told investigators he was recently approached my a Mexican national at the Petro gas station in Horizon City. The man offered him $3,000 to transport six “family members” to California. Harper allegedly told investigators he agreed even though he knew the people he was transporting were in the country illegally, court documents state.
A few weeks later, the same Mexican national called Harper to offer him another $3,000 to transport six undocumented immigrants to Dallas. Harper allegedly agreed and transported the undocumented immigrants to Dallas, where he was paid, court documents state.
A few weeks after that, Harper was allegedly contacted again and asked to transport more undocumented immigrants to Dallas, where he would be paid an additional $5,000. Harper allegedly picked up the undocumented immigrants at a gas station in Anthony, Texas. Later that night, Harper was pulled over by deputies, who allegedly found him to be in possession of $4,300. Harper allegedly admitted he obtained the money by transporting undocumented immigrants.
