Five people are facing federal smuggling charges after 97 people were found locked in a Houston home on Friday, April 30.
Marina Garcia-Diaz, 22, of El Salvador; Henry Licona-Larios, 31, of Copan, Honduras; Kevin Licona-Lopez, 25, of Santa Barbara, Honduras; Marco Baca-Perez, 30, of Michoacan, Mexico; Marcelo Garcia-Palacios, 21, of Oaxaca, Mexico, are accused of harboring and concealing people "for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain."
Houston Police and SWAT officers found the suspects' "stash house" at 12200 block of Chessington Drive after they were tipped off about a potential kidnapping the night before.
A woman called the authorities to report that her brother had been kidnapped, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
She said that she paid thousands of dollars to have her brother smuggled into the U.S. The smugglers later told the woman that they would kill her brother if she didn't pay even more money to have him released.
It is unknown if authorities found the woman's brother, but they found a two-story house in suburban Houston crowded with undocumented immigrants.
Authorities found 97 people shoved inside two rooms that had locks on the outside to prevent escapes. They were mostly men who were only wearing their undergarments.
On Friday, Houston Police said some of the people inside the house had COVID-19 symptoms. Authorities also gave them food and water because it looked like they hadn't eaten in a while.
Several victims named the accused as the ones in charge of the smuggling operation, according to the DOJ.
The five suspects face up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine if convicted.
Photo: Houston Police Department