Houston Man Charged Smuggling 40 Migrants in Box Truck

Kenneth Gamboa, a 25-year-old Houston resident, has been charged with smuggling 40 people in a box truck with a hidden compartment near Hebbronville, Texas. Authorities discovered the individuals behind a false wall screwed shut to prevent escape during a checkpoint inspection at Farm to Market Road 1017 in Jim Hogg County, after a K-9 unit alerted officers and an X-ray scan revealed people inside the cargo area. Of the 40 people found, 26 had been previously deported and now face illegal reentry charges carrying possible prison terms of up to 20 years. Gamboa faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a potential $250,000 fine if convicted. The case was investigated by ICE-HSI San Antonio with assistance from Border Patrol and ICE-HSI Houston, and is part of Operation Take Back America, targeting illegal immigration and organized crime. He is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian Bajew, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Tory Sailer prosecuting.