CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (ValleyCentral) – A Texas man plead guilty to attempting to smuggle migrants in a flag-draped coffin.
Zachary Taylor Blood, 33, from Galveston admitted to one count of human smuggling, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery in a press release.
On Oct. 26, 2021, Blood was driving a modified van designed to transport caskets at the checkpoint near Falfurrias.
Authorities noticed a coffin in the vehicle and asked Blood what he was transporting.
He replied, “Dead guy, Navy guy,” the release stated.
According to the release, the coffin was in poor condition and the American flag was taped to the top with packing tape.
He was sent for a secondary inspection where officers found two Mexican nationals concealed inside the coffin.
The men admitted to paying a smuggler to get them to San Antonio, adding that after crossing the river, they met with Blood in a parking lot where he had them enter the coffin and begin driving north.
Blood’s sentencing is scheduled for May 11. He faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.