WESLACO – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) disrupted a smuggling attempt after a Texas Highway Patrol Trooper stopped a vehicle in Hidalgo County as part of Operation Lone Star.
On June 12, 2021, just after 11 a.m., a DPS Trooper attempted to stop a black Volkswagen passenger car on 23rd Street and U.S. 83 in McAllen for a traffic violation. The driver refused to stop, and a vehicle pursuit began, ending with the driver crashing into another vehicle on 10th Street and Jackson Avenue in McAllen.
Through further investigation, Troopers discovered the driver had left a possible stash house prior to the pursuit. Troopers located the stash house and referred three undocumented males to U.S. Border Patrol. One of the men is reportedly a deported felon from a prior drug charge.
The driver, 34-year-old, Efrain Eusebio Barrientos, of Brownsville, was arrested and charged with smuggling of persons and evading arrest.
### (DPS South Texas Region)