OMAHA, Nebraska — Federal investigators say an Omaha food truck owner was part of a decades-long scheme to smuggle workers from Mexico to staff his family-run business. The suspect, Manuel Garcia, 54, has been charged with encouraging or inducing illegal entry after an extensive labor trafficking investigation uncovered a network stretching back 25 years.
Federal Raid and Arrest
According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, a joint task force involving Homeland Security, local law enforcement, and federal agencies executed nine search warrants tied to the case. The operation included assistance from the Omaha Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, the DEA, ATF, IRS, and FBI.
Garcia, owner of the Dos de Oros taco truck, appeared in federal court on Thursday. His business operates near 24th Street and Dee Park Boulevard and has long been a well-known fixture in the area.
Scheme Spanning Two Decades
An affidavit filed in federal court alleges that Garcia and several family members — including his wife, Guadalupe Acosta-Muñoz, his parents Jesus and Guadalupe Garcia, and his son Angel Garcia — recruited workers in Mexico and paid smugglers to bring them into the U.S. for employment at Dos de Oros and affiliated businesses.
The investigation began in 2019 after the FBI in Minneapolis received a tip from a former employee who claimed he was lured to the U.S. at age 16 by Garcia’s father. He told investigators he was one of 25 workers living in a Bellevue warehouse known as “La Bodega,” where they were housed after entering the U.S. illegally…