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PARAGONAH, Iron County— Utah Highway Patrol troopers in southern Utah spotted a minivan on I-15 Wednesday that had previously been suspected of being involved in human smuggling.
So police followed and after talking to some of the passengers in the vehicle, they determined it was being used for smuggling again, according to a police booking affidavit.
Renjo Hernandez Rigoberto, 37, was arrested and booked into the Iron County Jail for investigation of human smuggling and not having a license.
A UHP trooper spotted the Toyota Sienna about 9 p.m. Wednesday heading north on the freeway. That trooper was already headed to assist on another traffic stop, so he radioed ahead for a Parowan police officer to be on the lookout. The officer spotted the minivan a short time later and followed.
"The vehicle pulled into the Lunt Park rest area and the driver exited and walked to the bathroom, looking over his shoulder at me, several times," the officer wrote in the affidavit.
The officer said he did not turn on his emergency lights or conduct an official traffic stop. Rather, he walked up to the van and started talking to the passengers.
"I greeted the passenger in Spanish and asked where he was going. He stated he was going to Chicago. I asked why and he said for work. Another passenger stated he was going to Rhode Island and he had a passport. At about this time, the driver returned from the restroom and I greeted him and asked where he was headed. He stated Denver," according to the affidavit. "I began to develop reasonable suspicion that criminal activity was being performed, as this vehicle had already once been interdicted in human trafficking and now, it appeared to again be involved in the same activity."
Agents with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement were contacted and responded to the scene.
"Once they arrived, they were able to determine the driver, Renoj Hernandez Rigoberto, was being paid $200 by each of the eight passengers to take them to Denver where they would make other travel plans to reach other destinations in the United States," the affidavit states.
Federal authorities took custody of the eight passengers and the van while Rigoberto was booked into jail by police.
Correction: The arrest was made by a Parowan police officer. An earlier version incorrectly stated it was a Utah Highway Patrol trooper.
