Trucking news and briefs for Friday, May 16, 2025:
Truck driver gets maximum sentence for smuggling immigrants in trailer
A 34-year-old Alamo, Texas, resident has been ordered to prison for smuggling people into the United States from multiple countries, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Eusebio Cavazos pleaded guilty Feb. 13.
On Dec. 13, 2024, Cavazos drove a tractor-trailer into the primary inspection lane at the Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita, Texas. Upon initial inspection, a K-9 alerted to the possible presence of humans in the trailer.
Authorities referred him to secondary inspection where they discovered 36 people in the back of the trailer and nothing else. Of the 36, 15 were from Guatemala, 10 from Honduras, eight from Mexico and three from El Salvador. All were illegally present in the United States, and five had allegedly been previously removed and had pending charges for illegal re-entry.
Cavazos admitted someone had hired him to drive all 36 illegal migrants from a point near Donna, Texas, to Houston. He expected to receive $1,000 per person he was transporting, or more than $100/mile.
U.S. District Judge David Morales ordered Cavazos to serve the statutory maximum of five years in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
At sentencing, the court heard additional evidence regarding numerous enhancements applied in the case. These included transporting more than 25 aliens, recklessness for locking the aliens in the back of a cold trailer with no means of escape, transporting a minor and using skills as a truck driver to commit the crime.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Morales noted he would have sentenced Cavazos to a higher sentence if not for the statutory maximum of 60 months.
Cavazos has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol conducted the investigation.
[Related: Truck driver guilty of smuggling 36 people in trailer]
Driver named Highway Angel for heroic actions at horrific accident scene
Deshown Moye, a Melton Truck Lines driver out of Petersburg, Florida, has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association for stopping to help during a horrific crash in Alabama.
Deshown MoyeTCA
“I could hear the lady screaming,” he said, referring to the driver of the small sedan.
Moye and his wife noticed a baby on the side of the road outside the Lincoln Navigator, prompting immediate concern for the child’s safety. Moye stopped his truck, called 911, and rushed to the scene. It turned out the uninjured baby was a passenger of the Navigator, where the parents sat. The driver of the 18-wheeler was also uninjured, so Moye ran to check on the driver of the car wedged up under the back of the truck.
With the car smoking and blood visible throughout the vehicle, he calmly assessed the scene for hazards and turned off the ignition to prevent further danger. Moye found the woman in critical condition -- her ankle and left forearm were broken, and her right kneecap had been severely injured.
“She was in very bad shape,” he said. “Her femur bone was sticking out of her leg with blood coming out; I instantly grabbed the first piece of cloth I saw in the car.”
Recognizing that moving her could worsen her injuries, he remained by her side to comfort and stabilize her. The woman was panicking and having difficulty breathing due to the extreme pressure from her seat belt. With her permission, Moye carefully cut the seat belt away, relieving the pressure on her chest.
“Her eyes were rolling toward the back of her head -- it was just a scary situation,” he said.
Moye then held her hand and talked her through repeated bouts of hyperventilation and consciousness loss, keeping her as calm and safe as possible until emergency services arrived. He spent almost 45 minutes with the injured woman before emergency personnel arrived.
“She would not let my hand go; I felt her pain,” Moye said. “It had to be the grace of God that that lady was still alive.”
