Traffic stop ends in trafficking arrest

By Sandy Morris

What began as a call for erratic driving turned into the detention of 20 undocumented immigrants on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 13.

According to Albany Chief of Police Mike House, the local dispatch received a call of a possible intoxicated driver. 

APD officer Mark Purpura was in the area and according to House, observed the reported truck almost strike another vehicle from behind. 

Purpura initiated a traffic stop for following too close to another vehicle and pulled the truck over in the Prairie Star parking lot. 

The driver, 34-year-old Francisco Alfredo Lopez-Cubillas, had no identification or license on him and was detained, said Chief House, who added that he was then contacted to assist.

House stated that when he got to the scene a few minutes later, he went to the passenger side of the vehicle to question two females sitting in the front of the truck.

“When the passenger door was opened, we were able to see multiple bodies lying in the back seat,” said House. 

At that point, the cover over the back of the truck was unfastened, and more individuals were discovered lying in the bed.

Everyone in the vehicle was eventually identified as being undocumented, with individuals reported to be from Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, and Ecuador.

The driver was charged with 19 counts of “trafficking of person,” which is a second degree felony. He remained in the Shackelford County Jail on Tuesday afternoon.

Albany police officers were assisted by Shackelford County sheriff’s office personnel and Department of Public Safety Trooper Chad Overton. 

EMS was called to the scene to check on the welfare of the individuals, most of whom were male, and the ambulance staff then assisted with transport to the Shackelford County LEC. 

Trooper Overton also secured a church bus for transport. 

Shackelford County sheriff Edward Miller reported that at least one of the individuals received medical attention. 

“They came out of El Paso and went through here trying to avoid I-20,” said Miller. “They apparently hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for awhile.”

All of the subjects were being held at the LEC Monday afternoon pending pickup by Border Patrol and Homeland Security, said Miller on Monday morning, but by Tuesday, Lopez-Cubillas was reportedly the only one still remaining in the Shackelford County jail.