Texas man pleads guilty to trying to smuggle 2 people into U.S. in flag-draped coffin: "Dead guy, Navy guy"

A man has pleaded guilty to trying to smuggle undocumented immigrants into Texas in a flag-draped coffin, federal prosecutors said on Tuesday. Zachary Taylor Blood, 33, admitted to one count of alien smuggling after he was arrested at a checkpoint in October, according to U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Federal investigators say on October 26, 2021, Blood drove a gray van modified to transport caskets to the Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias, Texas. When asked by border officials what was inside, Blood allegedly replied: "Dead guy, Navy guy." 

Authorities got suspicious when they noticed the coffin was in poor condition and packing tape was used to attach the flag to the top. After a second inspection, law enforcement discovered two Mexican nationals, "both unlawfully present within the United States, concealed inside the coffin." 

The two men admitted to paying a smuggler to get them to San Antonio, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. They said after crossing the river into the U.S. they were taken to a parking lot where Blood was waiting for them. Blood then told them to get into the coffin and began driving north, prosecutors say.    

Blood, of Galveston, Texas, faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine. He will remain in custody until he is sentenced in May.

Last week, a Florida man was charged with human smuggling after the bodies of four people, including a baby and a teenager, were found in Canada near the U.S. border 

In April, the Biden administration launched a multi-agency operation targeting human smuggling organizations.