FALFURRIAS, Texas – As Brooks County Sheriff's investigator Daniel Davila looked at the 500 vehicles seized in smuggling cases, he said the impound lot is proof of what law enforcement is facing in South Texas.
"It tells you that there's a problem," Davila said.
He pointed to a sporty black SUV stopped by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers with hidden compartments in the front fenders.
"I think it was $460,000 that was recovered, proceeds from either human smuggling or narcotics," Davila said.
Besides the tractor-trailer rigs that haul illegal loads seized at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias, Davila said there are vehicles from all over the country, from work trucks to luxury vehicles, many of them stolen.
"It's kind of mind boggling, but we had a vehicle from Hawaii," he said.
Davila said many pick-up trucks, most stolen out of Houston, were used in bail-outs where the smugglers and illegal immigrants try to escape.
Many other types of vehicles are stored in the lot next to the sheriff's office, Davila said, even a boat and farm equipment.
"They'll smuggle currency. They'll smuggle people. They'll smuggle dope in anything, anything they can find," Davila said.
Inside the ceiling of a recreational vehicle heading toward the border, Davila said a deputy allegedly found several weapons.
However, Davila said the seized vehicles also can be a source of revenue for law enforcement agencies, after they're auctioned off.
He said the proceeds are used for additional equipment and training.
Based on what's parked in their impound lot, Davila said the Brooks County Sheriff's Office would welcome the opportunity to train other law enforcement agencies in how spot vehicles used for smuggling.