The captain of a commercial fishing vessel called the “Linda Labin” claimed to have no idea there were 14 undocumented immigrants hidden on his boat.
The captain of a commercial fishing vessel called the “Linda Labin” claimed to have no idea there were 14 undocumented immigrants hidden on his boat.
A federal investigation suggests otherwise.
Captain Francisco Hernandez, Jose Angel Carmona-Reyes and Marco Antonio Paez-Barreto, both crew members, were arrested Saturday after a search of the fishing vessel by the United States Coast Guard revealed that 14 immigrants from Mexico were hidden in various locations of the boat, court documents show.
The boat was found five miles off the coast of South Padre Island.
According to a criminal complaint, Carmona-Reyes and material witnesses implicated the men in the failed smuggling attempt with Carmona-Reyes telling Border Patrol experts that they were transporting the undocumented immigrants to Port Aransas and were each to be paid $1,000.
The trio is being held without bond pending a preliminary examination and detention hearing scheduled for Thursday, court records show.
