Woman arrested in Gillespie county on human smuggling charges

GILLESPIE COUNTY — A woman is in jail with a U.S. Immigration and Customs hold after authorities say she attempted to smuggle three undocumented illegal immigrants through Gillespie County to Austin.

The following is directly from a Facebook post from the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office.

On Monday, May 3, 2021, at approximately 8:03 a.m., a deputy initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 23000 block of West US Highway 290 for a traffic violation.

The deputy made contact with the female driver as she exited the vehicle and shortly thereafter he became aware that she did not possess a valid driver’s license (licensed only in Mexico).

He also became suspicious of illegal activity when the female struggled to answer common questions.

The deputy had noticed there were three adult male passengers inside the vehicle, and when questioned, he learned they were in the United States illegally.

Upon further investigation, it was determined that the female driver, 33 years old, had trafficked the three male individuals from the western part of the state and were possibly en route to Austin area.

The driver lives in the Austin area but is also in the United States illegally.

Subsequently, the female was arrested and charged with Smuggling of Persons [x3]. The three undocumented illegal immigrants, along with the female, were detained and transported be deputies to the Gillespie County Jail with a U.S. Immigration and Customs hold.

Gillespie County Constable of Precinct 2 assisted with the traffic stop.