Trucker claims he smuggled migrants under threat

A truck driver says he attempted to smuggle four migrants into the US after being threatened, an arrest affidavit states.  

Truck driver Hugo Cesar Tovar-Betancourt arrived at the I-35 checkpoint near Laredo, Texas at about 10:45 a.m. on July 31.

Tovar-Betancourt told agents he was traveling by himself and agreed to an X-ray on his truck. The scan revealed anomalies in the trailer, leading to further investigation, reported LMT Online.

Agents then discovered four migrants hidden underneath blankets on the bed inside the cab. Tovar-Betancourt then explained to agents that he was stopped at a gas station prior to smuggling the migrants and “was approached by a male who asked him for his identification and instructed him to smuggle four (migrants) through the checkpoint. Tovar-Betancourt stated the male subject threatened him by saying he knew who he was and where he lived in Mexico.”

Tovar-Betancourt was arrested and charged with transport, attempt to transport and conspire to transport migrants.