LAREDO, Texas — In the most open area of the Texas border, human smugglers are running wild in their efforts to circumvent U.S. Border Patrol Agents. Earlier this week, border patrol agents arrested 10 suspected human smugglers in connection with various conspiracies to smuggle more than 75 illegal aliens in total.

Breitbart Texas researched the court records for the 10 suspected smugglers who have all been formally charged in federal court in this border city.

One of the most dramatic cases came on July 25, when Raymond Segura, a member of the prison gang Hermanos Pistoleros Latinos, was arrested along with two illegal immigrants in a brushy area north of Laredo.

Once in custody agents learned that Segura had been arrested two times before as a foot guide for illegal aliens. The agents were surprised when Segura bragged about being able to beat the charge claiming that the two illegal aliens would not testify against him because he was “powerful,” he “ran (expletive),” and the charges “will not stick” because he had connections inside the jail.

In another case, agents arrested Patrick Stevenson after they found twenty illegal immigrants hiding in the trailer that he had been hauling north. During questioning Stevenson admitted he was going to be paid $5,000 for driving the illegal immigrants.

Raul Hernandez met a similar fate after agents found seventeen illegal aliens hiding in throughout his F150 pickup and in the flatbed trailer that he was using to haul bales of hay.

Breitbart Texas has previously reported how Laredo does not have a border wall. There is minimal surveillance with some areas being wide open for smugglers. That is exactly what happened earlier this week when agents arrested Jose Luis Cayetano along with five illegal aliens who had just swum across the Rio Grande River.

Cayetano, an illegal alien from Honduras, told agents that he was leading the group over the river in order to pay for his way. Once across, he was to be picked up by other smugglers.

This week, Breitbart Texas spoke with various fishermen along the Rio Grande River near Laredo’s downtown who stated that they constantly see immigrants crossing the river in broad daylight.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.