3 U.S. Army Soldiers Charged in Human Smuggling Operation

Three U.S. Army soldiers stationed in Texas were charged earlier this week in an alleged human smuggling operation involving illegal immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas said in a release.

Emilio Mendoza Lopez, Angel Palma, and Enrique Jauregui, all stationed at Fort Cavazos near Killeen, Texas, face federal criminal charge of bringing in and harboring aliens. Palma and Jauregui face an additional charge of assaulting a federal agent, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged Jauregui to be the “recruiter and facilitator of the human smuggling conspiracy.”