A human smuggler and his customer were detained in Sumter County after a trooper pulled them over on Interstate 75.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was on patrol just after 3 p.m. Thursday when he noticed a red Volkswagen Jetta with Texas license plates driving northbound at Mile Marker 309 in Bushnell. The trooper started a traffic check after observing the vehicle’s side and rear windows had a darker tint than was legally permitted.
The driver presented a temporary Texas driver’s license that identified him as 38-year-old Johan Manuel Martinez Briceno, originally from Venezuela. His passenger presented a Mexican ID card identifying him as Eduardo Rodriguez Najera.
During the stop, the trooper spotted Najera shoving a plastic grocery bag underneath his seat. A second trooper arrived on the scene and deployed K-9 “Flip,” who performed a free-air sniff of the Jetta and detected the presence of narcotics.
Both males were detained. Troopers noticed that Najera’s pockets were loaded with tissues, toiletries, and a phone charger, all of which were routinely carried during previous border crossings. A later search of the vehicle turned up a large number of bottles of water, automotive maintenance equipment, and trace amounts of cocaine on the driver’s seat handle.
The two men told translators contrasting stories. Najera stated Martinez Briceno picked him up from San Antonio the day before and drove him to his family’s home in Punta Gorda. Martinez Briceno, on the other hand, said that he picked up Najera in Austin and drove him to North Port in exchange for gas money and that he was eventually headed to Orlando for work. Martinez Briceno also stated that he was unaware of his passenger’s immigration status.
An officer from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was contacted, and he confirmed that both guys were in the country illegally. The ICE official also informed Martinez Briceno that he was already in the process of being deported.
Martinez Briceno was arrested on a felony accusation of transporting an unlawful person into the state. Both males were booked into the Sumter County Detention Center without bond. They remain in jail and will be handed over to ICE.
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