The Department of Justice said eight people were arrested for their alleged involvement in a human smuggling network near the Texas-Mexico border.
An indictment unsealed on Tuesday claims that the network — led by 31-year-old Erminia Serrano Piedra, also known as"Boss Lady" — made millions of dollars by illegally transporting migrants from Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia across the U.S.
However, the migrants were subjected to"deplorable conditions" during the journey. The drivers would allegedly hide them in suitcases in pickup trucks, cram them in the back of tractor-trailers, and even put them in repurposed water tanks and wooden crates strapped to flatbed trailers, according to the indictment.
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