Texas authorities arrest Nicaraguan man for smuggling Chinese national, 3 others near border
By Shane Rackley
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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (KRIS) — Texas authorities arrested a Nicaraguan man for human smuggling and apprehended a Chinese national during a traffic stop in Maverick County as part of Operation Lone Star.
Juan Alfonso Merlo Ibarra, 35, an undocumented immigrant from Nicaragua, was charged with four counts of smuggling of persons after a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper discovered four people being transported illegally in his vehicle.
The traffic stop occurred on US 277 just after 11:30 p.m. on Friday. During the stop, the trooper found four undocumented immigrants, all dressed in camouflage clothing, inside a gray Toyota Camry.
Among those being smuggled was Beibei Liu, 34, a special interest alien from China. Special interest aliens are individuals from countries that could pose national security concerns to the United States.
The other three undocumented immigrants were from Mexico, including one juvenile.
Merlo Ibarra was booked into the Maverick County Jail. Liu and the three other individuals were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol agents.
The arrest was part of Operation Lone Star, Texas’ border security initiative launched to address illegal immigration and drug trafficking along the state’s southern border.
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