Teenage smuggler arrested after using mom’s credit card to order Lyft ride for illegal migrants

Jason Hopkins, DCNF

A 17-year-old Texas man was arrested for smuggling two illegal immigrants, with the help of his mother’s credit card and sister’s Lyft app.

Image: Lyft car, Wikimedia

Jose Vigil was going to be paid $250 per person to smuggle two illegal migrants past Border Patrol and local law enforcement on April 5, according to local reports. However, the Mission, Texas, resident did not have a vehicle or the resources to transport them himself. So, using his mother’s credit card, Vigil ordered a ride from his sister’s Lyft app.

The teenager was able to direct the driver to a house in a nearby town, where the Guatemalan migrants hopped in the back of the car and they went on their way. Unfortunately for Vigil and the two migrants, the Lyft vehicle did not have a front license plate and was pulled over by police.

“Let me ask you a question,” Joshua Rodriguez, a Sullivan City police officer said to the driver. “Who are the guys in  the back?”

The driver said he did not know who they were, and that he was just a part-time Lyft driver when he wasn’t working at Peter Piper Pizza.

Vigil eventually confessed to the whole situation, telling police that the driver was not involved. Police did not arrest the driver, but they still admonished him for not noticing that the two men were soaked from the waist down and appeared suspicious.

“OK, first of all, didn’t it seem kind of off to you that they’re wet from the clothes?” Rodriguez asked. “That they’re muddy from the shoes. Anything like that?” He continued: “My suggestion to you, man, is if you’re going to be doing this Lyft, at least be mindful of who you’re going to pick up.”

The two Guatemalan migrants were taken into Border Patrol custody and Vigil was transported to a local police department for human smuggling, a third-degree felony. Vigil, according to jail records, was released on April 7 on $10,000 bond.

Follow Jason on Twitter

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles