Border Patrol agents apprehended a man on Friday after agents found him to be in possession of meth and an unloaded handgun with loaded magazines while trying to smuggle five people through the Falfurrias checkpoint, according to a criminal complaint.
Fabian Alvarado was charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams of methamphetamines and attempting to transport or move people illegally present in the United States.
Alvarado arrived at the checkpoint in his tractor-trailer at about 2:30 a.m. Friday, when an agent noticed Alvarado angled his body to conceal the sleeper area from him, according to the complaint.
Though Alvarado said the trailer was empty, the agent saw that he was nervous during the inspection. He kept spitting sunflower seeds into a bottle as a K-9 unit began alerting to the tractor truck.
It was at the secondary inspection lane that agents found a 17-year-old juvenile hiding in the closet behind the passenger seat and another man on the top of the bunk compartment. Three other men were also found, though the complaint doesn’t mention where.
All five men admitted they were citizens of either Honduras or Mexico and said they were unlawfully present in the U.S., the complaint said.
One agent found a camouflage backpack hanging on the passenger seat. It contained an unloaded Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun, a 9mm magazine with twelve rounds and three rounds of 45mm ammunition.
Agents also found two plastic bags of meth wrapped in two socks inside the backpack, according to the complaint. They weighed about 50 grams.
In addition, agents found four birth certificates and cellphones inside the glove compartment of the tractor-trailer. They belonged to the people being smuggled.
Alvarado declined to make a statement and requested an attorney. Two of the men accompanying him identified Alvarado in a photo lineup, the complaint states.
He is set to appear before Magistrate Judge Jason B. Libby Tuesday morning for his initial appearance.
