MCALLEN, Texas — Two men were arrested and charged with human smuggling after authorities discovered 55 people hidden in a secret compartment inside a produce trailer near the Texas-Mexico border on Friday, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced in an emailed news release Monday.
Brandon Lajohn Hargrove, 43, from Houston, and Jose Luis Castellanos-Hercules, 21, from Honduras, allegedly transported the group from Mission, Texas, to Zapata, Texas, in a box truck.
According to the criminal complaint, law enforcement stopped the box truck near San Ygnacio with Hargrove driving. When questioned, Hargrove claimed he was hauling boxes and opened the back of the trailer to show produce. However, authorities spotted Castellanos-Hercules inside the trailer and conducted a more thorough search…