Driver arrested after people found hiding behind load of rotting papayas

A truck driver was arrested at the Texas/Mexico border after people were discovered behind a fake wall in a trailer loaded with rotting papayas. 

Truck driver Rodolfo Hernandez-Perez was arrested on Sunday, November 2nd at around 1:45 a.m. after arriving at the Sarita checkpoint in Sarita, Texas. 

According to My Rio Grande Valley News, Hernandez initially told Border Patrol agents that he was traveling alone and that he was hauling papayas. A K9 agent alerted to the trailer, and he was referred to secondary inspection. 

During the secondary inspection, agents noticed that the load was mostly rotting papayas “covered in mold.” Agents then discovered a hard plastic panel inside of the trailer acting as a false wall. They removed that plastic panel to find a plastic sheet covering plywood that had been freshly caulked into place. 21 people were soon found behind the false wall. 

The people were determined to be from  Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Vietnam and Nicaragua. 

Hernandez told agents during his interview that he had driven his tractor trailer from California to Houston, Texas, and began looking for driving jobs on Facebook marketplace. It was there that he was contracted by a man named “Luis,” who explained that his driver had quit and left a semi truck on the side of the road, still loaded with produce. Hernandez said he agreed to pick up the trailer and drive it to Houston for $2,500.Investigators later discovered the Facebook Messenger thread showing an exchange between “Luis” and Hernandez, discussing the smuggling of people. Hernandez still claims that he refused to smuggle people and had only agreed to transport rotting papayas. 

Hernandez has already appeared in Corpus Christi federal court, and is currently being held without bond.