WICHITA COUNTY (KFDX/KJTL) — A Wichita County deputy arrested a man for suspected smuggling of persons after his passengers’ spill the beans on his alleged smuggling history.

According to the probable cause affidavit, on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, a deputy stopped a blue SUV on U.S. 287, near Electra for not slowing down, or moving over for a TXDOT crew working along the side of the road.

The vehicle’s back windows were very dark, according to the report, to conceal the individuals being transported. The deputy identified the driver, Gilberto Delgado-Nunez, with his Mexico driver’s license and his eight passengers. No one in the vehicle spoke English. Using Google Translate, the deputy identified the eight passengers.

Delgado-Nunez said they were driving to Dallas for work. He also said he has worked with his passengers’ before, but could not tell the deputy their name.

After several ‘inconsistencies’, the deputy interviewed the passengers individually. Some said they paid the driver $200, others said they would work out payment once they got to Dallas.

Some of the passengers admitted they crossed the U.S. border a few days ago. The US Border Patrol was contacted. It was discovered some of the passengers had been previously been deported to their respective countries including, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico.

The passengers also said that Delgado-Nunez has been arrested multiple times for smuggling. Delgado-Nunez is charged with smuggling of persons. He remained jailed Sunday on a $50,000 bond.