JIM HOGG COUNTY, Tex. (KGNS) – A 25-year-old Houston man has been charged with smuggling 40 people in a box truck with a hidden compartment, the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Southern District of Texas said.<\/p>\n
Kenneth Gamboa is scheduled to appear in federal court. Twenty-six of the people found in the truck had been deported before and now face charges for coming back to the U.S. illegally.<\/p>\n
The complaint says that in the early hours of Aug. 15, Gamboa drove a box truck with paper plates to a Border Patrol checkpoint on Farm to Market Road 1017 in Jim Hogg County. A K-9 unit alerted officers to the presence of humans or drugs in the truck.<\/p>\n
An X-ray scan showed people in the cargo area. Officers found a false wall creating a hidden space with boards screwed shut. They removed the boards and found 40 people inside, the complaint said.<\/p>\n
If convicted, Gamboa could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Those charged with illegal reentry could face up to 20 years, officials said.<\/p>\n
The case was investigated by ICE-HSI San Antonio, with help from Border Patrol and ICE-HSI Houston. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tory Sailer is prosecuting.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office said the case is part of Operation Take Back America, a program to fight illegal immigration and organized crime.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe complaint is just an accusation,\u201d the office said. \u201cA defendant is innocent until proven guilty in court.\u201d<\/p>\n