Suspect in fatal smuggling case is arrested

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A Texas man who police say played a role in the nation's deadliest smuggling tragedy has been arrested in Mexico, according to Mexican authorities.
Victor Rodriguez, 57, of Brownsville, was arrested March 29 in the border town of Matamoros by investigators from the Mexican attorney general's office.
Rodriguez has been linked to a botched smuggling operation uncovered May 14 when dozens of illegal immigrants were locked in a tractor-trailer and abandoned in Victoria, 100 miles southwest of Houston.
Seventeen immigrants were found dead in the trailer, and two others later died. The victims, including a 5-year-old Mexican boy, died from dehydration, hyperthermia and suffocation.
Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Herrera in Houston said that "until the legal process continues in Mexico, we can't talk about a possible extradition request or any legal options we have."
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