A Houston man looking for work on Craigslist thought he would make some fast money when an unknown person offered him work in the Rio Grande Valley. The work? Smuggling people through the Falfurrias checkpoint.
Now, James Alan Osborn and his co-defendant Andrew Morales Buendia are in federal custody on smuggling charges.
Border Patrol encountered the men at about 7 p.m. Friday as they approached the Falfurrias checkpoint in a white Hyundai Sonata.
During the primary inspection, Buendia told an agent that Osborn was his friend and that the pair was heading to Houston, according to Border Patrol.
“The primary agent observed an identification card shaking in Buendia’s hand and Buendia’s forehead was sweating,” the complaint said. “Buendia began to tell the agent about a funeral he had attended a couple of weeks prior without the agent asking any questions.”
Then the agent asked Buendia if he could look in the vehicle’s trunk, which caused the man to immediately look down, according to Border Patrol.
The agent found two citizens of Honduras inside the trunk.
During an interview, Border Patrol said Osborn was in contact with an unknown person who asked them to pick up some people from McAllen and that they would be paid $2,000 per person, according to the complaint.
“Buendia stated they were told they would only serve 10 days in jail if caught because it was their first time,” the complaint said.
Border Patrol said he admitted to driving from Houston to a Motel 6 near Highway 281 in McAllen where they picked up two people and told them to get into the vehicle’s trunk.
Osborn also told Border Patrol about the unknown person and $2,000 payments and how he received the offer after posting on Craigslist that he was looking for work, according to the complaint.
“Osborn stated he was told by the unknown person the worst that would happen was they would spend 10 days in a local jail,” the complaint said. “Osborn stated to agents that it did not matter and that they had caught him red-handed. Osborn declined to answer further questions.”
One of the Honduras citizens told Border Patrol he had paid $12,000 to be smuggled into the United States and taken to Atlanta.
He said he stayed at a McAllen stash house for 20 days after crossing the Rio Grande and on Friday was driven to a place he described as a church where he said the vehicle was waiting with an open trunk, according to Border Patrol.
“(He) stated it was very hot in the trunk and he did not have a plan to get out,” the complaint said. “(He) stated they were not checked on for the two and a half hours once the vehicle began moving.”
Both Buendia and Osborn were scheduled to make a first appearance Monday morning in federal court in Corpus Christi in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Mitchel Neurock.
