Texas truck driver charged with smuggling 115 people in refrigerated trailer

Handcuffs graphic

A Rosharon resident is set to make an appearance in Laredo federal court on allegations he attempted to smuggle dozens of undocumented immigrants, Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery announced in a release.

According to the charges, authorities conducted a traffic stop on a tractor hauling a refrigerated trailer on U.S. Highway 59 approximately eight miles east of Laredo after the driver, later identified as Michael Warren Mccoy, 43, failed to drive in a single lane.

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During the traffic stop, law enforcement cut the seal on the trailer doors and discovered 115 undocumented individuals inside, according to the charges.

Mccoy allegedly expected to be paid $250 for the transport and had made three previous, similar trips.

If convicted, Mccoy faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine, according to the release.

Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety and Border Patrol are conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Garrie Brown is prosecuting the case.


About the Author:

Briana Zamora-Nipper joined the KPRC 2 digital team in 2019. When she’s not hard at work in the KPRC 2 newsroom, you can find Bri drinking away her hard earned wages at JuiceLand, running around Hermann Park, listening to crime podcasts or ransacking the magazine stand at Barnes & Noble.