Teen reported missing months ago
Arrested for smuggling illegal immigrants.
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LA CRUCES, NM – A 17-year-old who had been reported missing earlier in the year is now in juvenile detention after law enforcement discovered three illegal immigrants in the trunk of his car during a border patrol checkpoint on Interstate 25.
According to KRQE, a New Mexico State Police Officer pulled over the teenager, identified as Leland Antonio Munoz Dominguez, on Wednesday, June 26th. During the traffic stop, the police officer heard a knocking noise coming from the trunk of the car. Upon opening the trunk, the officer found three illegal immigrants. One of the individuals was only 16-years-old.
Legal Action and Charges
Following the traffic stop, Border Patrol agents took custody of the three illegal immigrants. Police said that state prosecutors are looking to charge Dominguez with human trafficking as well as child endangerment. He has been booked into the Dona Ana County Juvenile Detention Center.
KAOT reported that early on in the traffic stop, police were planning to release the teenager to family members, until the officer heard the knocking coming from the trunk. This is far from the only incident of a teenager being caught and charged with smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States.
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Similar Incidents
According to the El Paso Times, back in early June, one teenager missed his high school graduation because he was arrested after sending police on a high-speed vehicle pursuit on the West Side of El Paso. The teenager, identified as 17-year-old Jabin Encinas, has been accused of leading Texas state troopers on an 80 mph vehicle pursuit through residential streets while transporting illegal immigrants in his car.
Encinas was booked into the El Paso County Jail on charges of smuggling of persons with a firearm, unlawful carrying of a weapon, and evading arrest in a vehicle. Under Texas law, persons 17 and older are considered adults and will be charged and tried as such.
Legal Proceedings and Bond
Encinas reportedly has no prior criminal record, had completed high school, and was supposed to have taken part in his graduation ceremony. Public Defense Attorney Richard Huffman said that Encinas had plans to study mechanical engineering and is already enrolled at the University of Texas at El Paso.
According to Assistant District Attorney John Briggs, troopers found a loaded .40-caliber Glock 23 handgun in the truck’s center console. The prosecution said that one of the illegal immigrants arrested after running from the truck was from Mexico and was allegedly the “guide” for the other illegal immigrants who led them on foot over the southern border.
Encinas public defender argued to the judge that the teenager didn’t have a criminal record and that the bonds were too high for his mother to pay. The bonds were set at: $50,000 for the smuggling charge; $40,000 for evading arrest in a vehicle; and $10,000 for unlawful carrying of a weapon.
Nuñez, the judge, refused to lower the bond amounts saying, “Mr. Encinas, I’m not going to lower your bond. What it is alleged that you did placed a lot of people in danger. Not just you, the people that were in the vehicle, law enforcement officers that were chasing you, but more importantly, the citizens of this community.”
Recruitment and Social Media
Drivers are being paid anywhere from $50 to $1,000 per person with most payments appearing to be around $200 to $350 per illegal immigrant. Teenagers and young people are being targeted and recruited by smugglers with risk-filled promises of easy cash on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other social media platforms.
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Teen reported missing months ago has been arrested for smuggling illegal immigrants in his vehicle | Law Enforcement Today.
