Another human trafficking arrest on I-75: passengers report they had been “detained” since crossing the border

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

Brayan Jose Salcedo, 18, was arrested yesterday and charged with three counts of smuggling illegal individuals into the state after passengers in his truck reported that they had paid to cross the border and that Salcedo’s father had “detained” them between the border crossing and their trip to Florida.

At 10 a.m. yesterday, a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper pulled over a red Ford F-150 pickup truck that had a broken windshield and apparent illegal tint on the rear windows. The trooper reported that the truck noted his presence, moved into the right lane, and slowed to the point where other cars had to slow down behind it. The trooper then conducted a traffic stop on the truck, which had a Texas tag.

The trooper wrote that when he approached the truck, he saw multiple signs that indicated human trafficking, according to his training: body odor, trash scattered throughout the vehicle, and signs that the passengers were nervous.

The driver, Salcedo, allegedly presented a Texas learner’s permit, and the trooper said he asked Salcedo if his driver’s license was valid and that Salcedo said he wasn’t able to get a driver’s license because he had dropped out of school. Salcedo also reportedly said that the other passengers worked for his father’s roofing company. He reportedly didn’t know the names of two of the passengers and only the first name of the third passenger.

When a Spanish-speaking trooper arrived, he spoke with the three passengers. The first reportedly said he crossed the border on foot from Mexico on April 25, 2022, and that his family paid someone in the U.S. $6,000 to get him across the border. He reportedly said that when he reached Texas, Salcedo’s father “detained” him until he could go to Florida for work; he said that meant he was not free to leave and that Salcedo’s father would come looking for him.

The second passenger reportedly said he had crossed the border from Mexico on foot on May 19, 2022, and that his family had paid 28,000 pesos for his transport into this country. He also reportedly said he had never worked in roofing and that he was “detained at a residence” until the money for his crossing was paid.

The third passenger reportedly said he had been in the U.S. for about a year and that he “travels and works any types of jobs for money.” He also reportedly said he crossed the border from Mexico, but he didn’t know where or when.

Post Miranda, Salcedo reportedly said he would be paid for transporting the passengers to Florida, but when asked how he was being paid, he refused to answer.

The trooper reported that contact was made with Homeland Security, and it was determined that there was no record of any of the subjects entering the U.S. legally, “So it is presumed that all three subjects are illegal aliens of the United States.” The trooper requested a high bail for Salcedo, and bail has been set at $3,000,000 for Salcedo.

This is the second human trafficking arrest in Alachua County within a week; the first suspect, David Ramirez-Ayuso, remains in the Alachua County Jail on $2,005,000 bail. A Florida Highway Patrol spokesman told us that he wasn’t sure what happened to the passengers in this case, but the passengers in last week’s incident were taken off the roadway to a safe place where they could call their families for transportation.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.