Man and woman in Texas accused of smuggling 89 undocumented immigrants in trailer for $1,000

A couple are facing allegations they attempted to smuggle scores of undocumented aliens into the United States in a trailer, federal prosecutors said.

In the early morning hours of July 13, Marc Anthony Bane, 45, and Tara Renee Dillon, 33, are accused of driving a stolen 2017 Freightliner tractor hauling a Stoughton trailer to a border-patrol checkpoint around 29 miles north of Laredo, a Texas town on the Mexico-United States border, the Laredo Morning Times reported.

“There, a service K-9 allegedly detected an odor within the trailer,” prosecutors said. “The charges allege law enforcement then searched the vehicle and found 89 undocumented non-U.S. citizens.”

“The individuals were sweating profusely inside the warm trailer even though it was approximately 3 a.m. when authorities found them, according to the charges,” prosecutors noted, adding, “Bane allegedly expected to be paid $1,000 for transporting the trailer.”

If convicted of the smuggling charges against them, Bane and Dillon face up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine, prosecutors said.