A Texas-based truck driver has admitted to his role in a large scale human smuggling operation that was uncovered in April 2022, authorities say.
Truck driver Anthony Alfred Boring, 73, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport an undocumented alien, according to a June 28 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas.
On April 15, Boring arrived at the Border Patrol checkpoint on IH-35 approximately 29 miles north of Laredo, Texas.
“Upon questioning about what he was hauling, Boring appeared shocked. His face also turned pale, his eyes became glassy, and he sunk into his seat. He then shrugged his shoulders and mumbled ‘I don’t know,'” the new release recounted.
When officers unlocked the trailer, they discovered 145 people in the trailer. Most were from Mexico and Guatemala, with a handful of others from Honduras, El Salvador, and Ecuador.
“One of the people described how hot it was in the trailer and that it was excessively packed with bodies. Further, there was no drinking water in the trailer,” the news release continued.
Boring could face up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
The news of the guilty plea comes just a day after harrowing news broke of the death of dozens of people inside of a hot trailer in San Antonio during a suspected human smuggling attempt.