Border Patrol agents arrested a woman who claimed to be heading to Corpus Christi with four children after agents found two women inside duffel bags in the cargo area of her SUV on Sunday.
Mariela Andrade-Escobar was charged with knowingly attempting to move and or transport two people unlawfully present in the United States.
The probable cause affidavit said Anrade entered the primary inspection lane at the checkpoint near Falfurrias about 1 p.m. and handed an agent a U.S. Employment Authorization card.
“The primary agent noticed Anrade’s hand was shaking as she handed him the card,” the complaint said.
Andrade told the agent she was heading to Corpus Christi and allowed him to look in the cargo area of her silver GMC Yukon, but when the agent found he couldn’t open the rear hatch, he asked her to proceed to a secondary inspection area.
Once there, agents noticed two large duffel bags and found two women hidden inside each bag, according to the complaint.
“Agents questioned the two females and they both admitted to being citizens of Guatemala,” the document said.
During the interview, Andrade admitted she knew the two women were in the duffel bags and said an unknown man came to her house and asked her to take the two women through the checkpoint and drop them off at a gas station in Falfurrias.
She added that the man offered to pay her $500 and said the same man asked her to smuggle through the checkpoint two months ago.
The complaint said Andrade had been arrested once on Oct. 24 after another failed smuggling attempt.
One of the women in the duffel bag told authorities that it was Andrade’s idea to be placed in duffel bags and in the cargo space.
Andrade appeared before Magistrate Judge Jason B. Libby Tuesday morning via video conference and had her detention hearing scheduled for Friday before Magistrate Judge Julie K. Hampton.
