A man in Texas who was transporting two men from Mexico in a coffin draped with the American flag has pleaded guilty to human trafficking.
Zachary Taylor Blood, of Galveston, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine after his guilty plea this week in federal court in Corpus Christi. He will remain in custody until his sentencing, scheduled for May 11.
Prosecutors said Blood, 33, was driving a van when he arrived at a Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias, Texas, on Oct. 26. Agents noted that the casket was dilapidated and an American flag covered the lid, which was taped to it with packing tape. Upon closer inspection, they found two Mexicans inside the coffin.
Both men said they had paid a human trafficker to take them to San Antonio. After crossing the border into Texas, the smuggler took them to a parking lot, where Blood was waiting. Blood put them in the casket and started driving north, authorities said.
