Human smuggler busted in Laredo, Texas after high-speed chase ends in crash

A high-speed chase in Laredo, Texas led to the arrest of a human smuggler who attempted to flee from troopers.

The suspect, identified as Jorge Alonso Diaz Jr. of Laredo, Tex., led troopers on a chase that ended with his Lincoln Navigator careening into a commercial vehicle, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

After Diaz was taken into custody, troopers discovered 10 undocumented immigrants and a child inside the vehicle.

Diaz was charged with smuggling of persons, causing serious bodily injury, and evading arrest.

Texas DPS troopers continue to combat human smuggling while maintaining public safety as part of their Operation Lone Star 2.0 campaign.

Not the first Laredo bust

Last week, DPS and Laredo Border Patrol found more than a dozen undocumented individuals inside a residence in the city, which sits on the Mexican border.

During the Dec. 17 operation, authorities said in a social media post, they uncovered 17 people who were in the U.S. illegally.

One individual, identified as a “suspected caretaker,” was taken into custody and charged with human smuggling, according to authorities.

A photo https://twitter.com/USBPChiefLRT/status/2001335068875485318, manned by Chief Patrol Agent Desi D. DeLeon, shows 10 people sitting on the kitchen floor of the home.

“Operation Success!” DeLeon noted of the sting, but no further details were provided on the “caretaker” or the others.

The bust comes after agents “successfully intercepted a smuggling attempt,” which resulted in another chase.

The driver and seven individuals were busted following the pursuit.

Just days before, agents uncovered yet another alleged human smuggling operation in the same border town.

Two U.S. citizens were arrested for allegedly smuggling four illegal individuals — two Guatemalan nationals, one Mexican national and a Honduran national — into their Laredo home on Dec. 8, according to US Customs and Border Patrol.

The illegal aliens were taken into custody pending deportation.

The American citizens, whose identities were not released, are now facing federal alien smuggling charges.

“Illegal entry leads to deportation,” CPB said in a social media post. “Don’t risk it.”

Laredo accounted for 4,400 land border encounters in the 2025 fiscal year, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, while Texas’ entire southwest region saw 103,124 encounters within the same time frame.

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