Local felon heads to prison for smuggling nearly 100 in trailer

DOJ Press

LAREDO, Texas – A 49-year-old Desoto man has been sent to prison following his conviction of alien smuggling, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Dedrick Lindell Coleman pleaded guilty April 14.

Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Coleman to serve 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional testimony that described Coleman’s efforts to smuggle over 90 people inside a tractor trailer. In handing down the sentence, Judge Marmolejo considered that number of individuals and his prior criminal history.

At the time of his plea, Coleman admitted that on Jan. 14, he approached the Interstate Highway 35 Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint located on mile marker 29 while driving a tractor trailer. A K-9 unit alerted authorities to the presence of concealed humans and referred him to secondary inspection.


There, authorities found a total of 95 non-U.S. citizens hidden in the trailer. All were determined to be in the United States illegally. At the time of his arrest, authorities also discovered a pistol in Coleman’s possession.


He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Isaac prosecuted the case.

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