BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Mexican man living in the country illegally pleaded guilty in a deadly human smuggling case, the United States Attorney's Office Southern District of Texas announced Thursday.

Authorities say in May 2024, Victor Manuel Martinez-Gallegos, 24, picked up several people in Brownsville and drove them to a stash house where they were shielded from detection. An investigation found that a person from Guatemala was in distress, but still alive. He later died at the location.

During his plea, Martinez-Gallegos admitted to leaving the body at a site near Maverick Road in Brownsville. Authorities later found human remains at the location and identified them as the missing person from Guatemala, according to the news release.

Martinez-Gallegos faces up to life

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