North Texas man sentenced to 6 years for smuggling 18 people in a metal cylinder trailer
A Tarrant County man has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for helping to smuggle undocumented migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said.
In June 2023, Oland Maurice McKenzie, 43, of Euless, was driving a semi-truck when he was stopped for failing to use a turn signal as he entered a parking lot in Maverick County, Texas, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas said in a press release.
During the stop, a Maverick County deputy learned that McKenzie didn't have a commercial driver's license. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived at the location and launched a K-9 inspection, which led to the discovery of 18 people inside a metal cylinder trailer, commonly used to haul sand or powered concrete.
"The tractor trailer was loaded with human cargo and bound for San Antonio out of Eagle Pass," Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Margaret Leachman, said in a statement. "Fortunately, there were no injuries beyond heat exhaustion, but if not for our law enforcement partners, this event could have ended much worse, potentially resulting in death."
McKenzie was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint, the DOJ said.
In May 2024, McKenzie was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants placing lives in jeopardy, and one count of undocumented immigrant transportation placing lives in jeopardy, the news release said.
"This conviction highlights the severity of human smuggling and the critical need to enforce U.S. immigration and border security laws," said Craig Larrabee, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent in charge for San Antonio. "ICE and HSI will continue to target those who engage in these unlawful activities, which pose significant risks to public safety."