Man charged with ten counts of human smuggling following traffic stop on I-75 in Alachua County

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

MICANOPY, Fla. – Carlos Alonso Velasco-Mancilla, 24, was arrested yesterday and charged with ten counts of smuggling an illegal individual into the state following a traffic stop on I-75 in Alachua County.

At about 1 p.m. yesterday, a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper saw a Chevrolet Suburban with an Oklahoma tag, traveling southbound near mile marker 378 and noted “an obvious traffic violation for window tint.” The trooper conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver and ten passengers, three of whom were seated in the rear cargo area.

The driver reportedly told the trooper that he did not have a driver’s license; he offered a Mexico Voter Registration card and his Mexico passport as identification documents. The trooper wrote that he could smell body odor from the interior of the vehicle and also saw trash, food, and garbage scattered inside the vehicle. He wrote that the driver and passengers “seemed overly nervous and would not make eye contact with me.”

The trooper asked the driver, Velasco-Mancilla, for the names of his passengers, but he reportedly did not know their names. Velasco-Mancilla was detained and placed in a patrol vehicle, and he and the passengers were interviewed separately.

The passengers gave different stories about where they were coming from, where they were going, and whether they were paying Velasco-Mancilla, but they all reportedly said that Velasco-Mancilla knew they were in the U.S. illegally:

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• The first said she was traveling from Oklahoma to Ocala, she came across the border from Mexico three months ago, and she was not paying for transport;
• The second said he was traveling from Georgia to Brandon, he came across the border from Mexico a year ago, and he was not paying for transport;
• The third said he was traveling from Texas to Ocala, he came across the border from Mexico three days ago, and his family would pay Velasco-Mancilla for transport in Ocala;
• The fourth said he was traveling from Texas to Ocala, he came across the border from Mexico three days ago, and his family would pay Velasco-Mancilla in Ocala;
• The fifth said he was traveling from Oklahoma to Ocala, he came across the border from Mexico seven months ago, and he was not paying for transport;
• The sixth said he was traveling from Oklahoma to Ocala, he came across the border from Mexico over a year ago, and he had paid Velasco-Mancilla $200 for transport;
• The seventh said she did not know where Velasco-Mancilla picked her up, and she was traveling to Florida; she came across the border from Mexico two years ago, and she paid Velasco-Mancilla $500 for transport;
• The eighth said he was traveling from Oklahoma to Ocala, he came across the border from Mexico a month ago, and his cousin would pay for his transport in Ocala;
• The ninth said he was traveling from Oklahoma to Ocala, he came across the border from Mexico six months ago, and his friend would pay for his transport;
• The tenth said he had been transported into Florida a few days ago, then traveled into Georgia for work, and was now traveling back to Florida. He came across the border from Guatemala a month ago, and his uncle would pay for his transport.

Post Miranda, Velasco-Mancilla reportedly said all the passengers were with him when he left Oklahoma on Sunday and that he knew all ten passengers were in the U.S. illegally; he said he was not receiving any money from the passengers for transporting them.

Homeland Security reportedly determined that Velasco-Mancilla and all the passengers were in the U.S. illegally. Velasco-Mancilla was charged with ten counts of human smuggling and one count of driving without a valid license.

The trooper wrote, “It is believed that Velasco Mancilla has active ties to Mexico and is currently involved with multiple other people who smuggle illegal aliens into the United States.” He requested a high bond “due to the current major issue of human smuggling” and also requested that the judge would require an ankle monitor if Velasco-Mancilla is released on bond, “due to the very high chance or probability of them fleeing the State of Florida.”

Judge Walter Green set bail at $102,000, with no requirement for an ankle monitor prior to release.

Alachua Chronicle recently asked an FHP spokesman about what happens to the illegal aliens when the driver is arrested; his answer was that they are typically taken to a safe place off the interstate where they can call their families.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.