Authorities said James Mathew Bradley Jr., a 60-year-old man from Clearwater, Florida, is being held in federal custody for his alleged involvement in the smuggling of nearly 40 people -- 9 of which died.
Authorities will file a criminal complaint against Bradley in federal court in San Antonio on Monday morning, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. District Attorney's office said in a joint statement.
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A picture of Bradley was not made public because Department of Justice policy precludes providing photographs of people in federal custody.
READ THE INITIAL REPORT: 8 people found dead inside of semi-truck trailer on SW side in 'human trafficking crime'
The release does not state exactly how Bradley was involved, however, police discovered 39 victims in a Wal-Mart parking lot on the Southwest side just before 1 a.m. Sunday after an employee called San Antonio police to report a suspicious encounter with a disoriented man in the parking lot.
The employee said a man approached him asking for water near a parked 18-wheeler in the store’s parking lot.
"(The employee) came back with the water, called the police, and we arrived on scene and found eight people dead in the back of that trailer," SAPD Chief William McManus said at a media briefing.
RELATED: Death toll climbs to 9 in human trafficking case: Here's what we know
Seventeen patients were transported priority 1 status (life threatening injury/illness) and 13 others were taken to area hospitals priority 2 status (not immediately life-threatening), officials said. A ninth person died at an area hospital.
Authorities said the individuals who died are all adult males.
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