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Border Patrol agents managed to apprehend 19 people illegally present in the United States after the driver crashed his vehicle into a ditch Tuesday night, according to a criminal complaint.
The driver, Allan Eduardo Mar-Uballe, was identified as a Mexican citizen who was driving a blue Ford Expedition that he crashed.
He has been charged with knowingly transporting or attempting to transport — by motor vehicle — people illegally present in the country from a location in Escobares.
At about 7:15 p.m., Border Patrol agents conducting line-watch operations observed multiple people running north away from the Rio Grande and jumping into a blue Ford Expedition, according to the complaint.
They saw the Expedition traveling at a high rate of speed on Highway 83 and it appeared to be heavily loaded, so agents attempted to perform a vehicle stop for an immigration inspection. Authorities activated their emergency equipment but the Expedition began to travel south toward the river, the complaint said.
That’s when the vehicle crashed into a ditch.
“Agents apprehended a total of nineteen (19) subjects to include the driver of the SUV,” the complaint said.
Everyone apprehended admitted to being illegally present in the U.S.
Mar-Uballe refused to speak to authorities, but one of the people being smuggled explained that Mar-Uballe was receiving instructions from the smuggling coordinators by cellphone.
Another person stated that Mar-Uballe was driving erratically and almost rolled over before it crashed into a berm. They were also able to identify Mar-Uballe as the driver in a photo lineup.
Mar-Uballe appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker for his initial appearance Thursday morning.
