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A man was arrested at the Falfurrias checkpoint after Border Patrol agents found 13 people illegally present in the country inside a trailer hauling arcade games, according to a criminal complaint.
Edgar Villanueva was charged with knowingly and with reckless disregard transporting people illegally present in the U.S. concealed inside wooden platforms with no means of escape.
According to the complaint, Villanueva arrived at the Falfurrias checkpoint on Saturday around 10:20 a.m. in a green Chevrolet Silverado pulling a storage trailer.
An agent asked Villanueva where he was heading and what he was hauling to which Villanueva stated he was heading to Houston and was hauling “a bunch of arcade games.”
Villanueva told the agent that the trailer was full of arcades while another agent performed a free air canine sniff of the trailer which resulted in a positive alert.
The complaint said that once Villanueva was instructed to go to the secondary inspection area, his body language “quickly changed from relaxed and confident to stiff and rigid.”
Villanueva’s knuckles turned white as he gripped his steering wheel and his eyes grew wider as he proceeded to the secondary inspection area, according to the complaint.
An X-ray of the trailer revealed a total of 13 people hidden inside the trailer.
“(Twelve) of the subjects were discovered in wood platforms lining against the interior walls of the trailer,” the complaint said. “The wood platforms were secured by numerous screws and nails which were sealing the platforms shut from all sides.”
Agents had to pry the platforms open because the 12 people inside had no means of getting out on their own, according to the document.
Another person was discovered hidden between two standalone arcade games.
All 13 people were determined to be illegally present in the country.
During an interview with authorities, Villanueva stated he and his wife stayed at a Motel 6 the night before in Pharr and at about 7:30 a.m. his wife drove him to where his truck was parked.
He then said that he listened to music and prayed for about an hour before driving north until he reached the Falfurrias checkpoint.
“Villanueva stated he was going to the Omni Hotel in Corpus Christi to rent his trailer to a man named ‘Larry,’” the complaint said.
When asked to provide Larry’s number, Villanueva said he his phone broke two days ago and didn’t have his number, adding that “his faith would lead him to ‘Larry.’”
Villanueva gave various contradicting statements until he was asked about a prior arrest and conviction in 2020 for human smuggling at which point he requested an attorney.
He’s set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Julie K. Hampton for a preliminary examination and detention hearing Wednesday morning.
