The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) arrested a 24-year-old man for smuggling ten people into Florida after a traffic stop on Interstate 75 Monday.
According to the arrest report, a trooper stopped Carlos Velasco Mancilla around 1:00 p.m. near mile marker 375 in Micanopy after noticing the vehicle's tint was too dark. While speaking with the suspect, the trooper noticed he was "overly nervous" and his hands and voice were shaky. Velasco also had ten other passengers inside of the vehicle according to FHP.
The trooper then asked the suspect to exit the vehicle to speak with him. FHP says Velasco Mancilla told the trooper the other passengers were his "companeros" and he could not recall any of their names.
After requesting assistance from a Spanish speaking trooper, troopers concluded all 10 passengers were picked up from different locations including Oklahoma and Georgia and were headed to Ocala and Brandon, Florida. FHP says some passengers told troopers they were paying the suspect to transport them. Homeland Security confirmed that all 10 passengers and the driver were in the United States illegally.
According to the arrest report, the trooper also believed that the suspect has current ties to Mexico and requested a high bond to prevent the chance of him leaving the State of Florida.
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The suspect was arrest and charged with 10 counts human smuggling and operating a vehicle without a valid driver's license.