Trucker arrested for migrants and bulk cash while crossing checkpoint

A truck driver was arrested after agents discovered he was smuggling migrants and possessed a large amount of cash at a border checkpoint earlier this week. 

The incident occurred on July 15th at about 3:25 p.m. at the Interstate 35 border checkpoint in Texas. 

According to Beaumont Enterprise, truck driver Johnathan Michael Linell Clark arrived at the border checkpoint and told agents he was traveling alone. During the interaction, an agent observed a “black lump” on the bed in the sleeper cab and became suspicious. The agent then called in a K9 unit to continue the inspection. 

The K9 inspection resulted in the discovery of seven migrants inside the sleeper berth of the commercial vehicle, and a  “bulk amount of currency” in a bag. 

Clark was arrested and told police during an interview that he had been paid $1,200 per migrant, and that the bag of cash was his payment for the human smuggling.