LAKE CITY, Fla. — A couple from Guatemala were arrested in Lake City and charged with smuggling almost a dozen people into the United States in exchange for over $250,000, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Alex Garcia, 22, and Floridalma Lopez, 26, were charged with ten counts of human smuggling. They were given no bond.
A report from FHP says on Dec. 20, at approximately 9:55 a.m., a trooper was conducting traffic enforcement on Interstate 75 near the 426 Mile-Marker in Columbia County, Florida.
The trooper says it observed a van that slowed down as it approached the FHP cruiser and changed from the left lane into the middle lane. The trooper says that they conducted a traffic stop due to the dark tint and behavior of the driver.
Once the vehicle came to a controlled stop on the right shoulder, the trooper says he conducted a passenger side approach at the van.
The report says the driver says he did not have his registration or proof of insurance. The driver was also reportedly asked several times if he would roll down the rear windows and did not.
The trooper says during the interaction with the driver, later identified as Alex Garcia, he observed the driver's hands visibly shaking.
The trooper says he also observed an air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror and could smell the "overwhelming odor of body odor emitting from the interior of the vehicle."
The trooper then reportedly asked Garcia to step out of the vehicle, and he complied with no issues. An additional trooper arrived and noted, via the passenger's side window, that there were 10 people sitting on the floor of the van in the back.
The troopers noted in the incident report that the odor and behavior was an indicator of human smuggling.
Everyone in the vehicle was asked to exit the vehicle. Troopers say all the occupants, including the driver's information, was sent to the Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol. Troopers say a few minutes later, they were advised that all the occupants, including the driver, were in the United States illegally.
The individuals explained that they had paid various amounts ranging from $50,000 to $90,000 in exchange for transport to the United States from places such as Guatemala and Mexico. The total amount came to over $250,000.
Alex Garcia and the woman traveling in the passenger seat, Floridalma Lopez, were then taken into custody.
