TAMPA, Fla — A man is facing multiple charges, including human trafficking and smuggling individuals illegally, following a traffic stop Monday in Sumter County.
Florida Highway Patrol says a trooper conducted a traffic stop around 1 p.m. after noticing a Ford E350 van traveling on Interstate 75 had darker than legal window tint on its rear and side windows.
After calling for assistance, Trooper Kelly spoke with the driver and reported seeing passengers lying down "concealed" within the rear bench seat of the van. The trooper also noticed the driver's GPS in the window showed directions to an unknown location, according to an FHP incident report.
When asked for ID, troopers say the driver, Abraham Rodriguez Chazaro, 59, presented an expired Ohio driver's license.
The adult passenger sitting in the front seat provided the trooper with a Honduras passport with no stamps for entry into the U.S. and the other adult passenger in the backseat provided a Honduras ID card and a birth certificate for his 11-year-old son sleeping in the back row of the van.
Rodriguez Chazaro told Trooper Kelly they were traveling from Ohio to an area "about an hour south of Tampa" and that he did not know the backseat passengers' names, but they had family in the Tampa area.
He also told the trooper that the backseat passengers were paying for the gas on the trip and presented several receipts for gas outside of Florida.
Troopers would then detain Rodriguez Chazaro for not having a valid driver's license.
U.S. Border Patrol agents responded to the traffic stop and reported that the driver is a Mexican citizen with a U.S. work visa that would expire in two days. Agent Hector Hernandez also told troopers "the remaining three occupants were in the United States illegally" and were Honduran citizens.
Troopers collected cell phones from the van and warrants will be sought, FHP says.
Rodriguez Chazaro was placed under arrest and transported to Sumter County Jail. He is facing multiple counts of human trafficking and smuggling individuals illegally.
