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Arrests made in trafficking incident

By Scott Harvey

Greenville – Greenville police have arrested several individuals in connection to an illegal trafficking incident in the City.

The crime occurred at approximately 2:45 a.m. Wednesday, when Office Robert Pemberton pulled over a 2003 Nissan Xterra after it had failed to slow for an emergency vehicle. When he approached the vehicle, he noticed a strong smell of body odor and nine people, some lying on top of each other, in the back.

The driver of the vehicle, Marcos Hernandez Carlos Aroldo, told the officer the occupants were traveling to Kansas to look for work. Aroldo did not have a driver's license and did not know the names of any of the passengers. The front seat passenger, reportedly the owner of the vehicle, was identified as Manuel Hernandez. Hernandez advised that he was paid $1,100 to transport the individuals in the back of the vehicle to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was going to drop them off and then drive back to California. Officer Pemberton did locate eleven one hundred dollar bills in Hernandez's pants packet.

The individuals inside the vehicle were illegal aliens from Mexico. The subjects had no possessions other than the clothing they were wearing and none were wearing seatbelts. The subjects advised Officer Pemberton that they were very hungry.

All of the vehicle occupants were placed under arrest and transported to the Greenville Police Department. Hernandez was charged with Trafficking of Persons. The illegal aliens were detained and being held for ICE (U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The vehicle, money and a cell phone were seized. Hernandez was later transferred to the Hunt County Jail.