Honduras man charged with human traffficking during traffic stop near Bushnell, FL on I-75
Sumter County, Florida - On October 21 at 12:04 pm, a FHP trooper in Sumter County conducted a traffic stop on a 2014 Toyota sedan, traveling southbound on I-75 near the 313 milepost, near bushnell, Florida, due to the vehicle having llegal window tint
During the traffic stop, the trooper noticed that the Louisiana temporary tag placed on the vehicle had been altered. The driver, 24 year-old Mario Antonio Padilla-Aguilar, presented the trooper with a Honduras identification card, but no driver’s license.
The trooper noticed that the four passengers inside he vehicle were nervous, and all had scarring on their arms. The trooper, who had previously been deployed to Texas, recognized the obvious signs of human trafficking, and after questioning the passengers, determined that the two males from Guatemala had been aquired in Texas, and the two females from Mexico had been acquired in Louisiana. The trooper learned, that on October 20, the four passengers had paid for transportation to Florida, and that an additional payment would be required, once they arrived at their destination.
The four passengers were delivered to the United States Border Patrol, and Mr. Padilla-Aguilar was arrested and delivered to the Sumter County Jail, charged with four counts of human trafficking, having no valid driver's license, having no vehicle registration, and having an altered temporary tag.