A human smuggling suspect and his customer were arrested in Sumter County after a trooper pulled them over on Interstate 75.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was on patrol shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday when he spotted a red Volkswagen Jetta with Texas plates traveling southbound near Mile Marker 309 in Bushnell. The trooper initiated a traffic stop after noticing the vehicle’s side and rear windows had a tint that appeared darker than legally allowed.
The driver provided a temporary Texas driver’s license identifying him as 38-year-old Johan Manuel Martinez Briceno, originally from Venezuela. His passenger provided a Mexican identification card identifying him as Eduardo Rodriguez Najera.
During the stop, the trooper noticed Najera shove a plastic grocery bag under his seat. A second trooper arrived on the scene and deployed K-9 “Flip,” who conducted a free-air sniff of the Jetta and alerted to the presence of narcotics.
Both men were detained. Troopers noted that Najera’s pockets were stuffed with tissues, toiletries, and a phone charger—items commonly carried during recent border crossings. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a significant amount of bottled water, vehicle maintenance items, and trace amounts of cocaine on the driver’s seat handle.
The two men provided conflicting stories to translators. Najera claimed Martinez Briceno picked him up in San Antonio the day before to take him to his family’s house in Punta Gorda. However, Martinez Briceno claimed he picked Najera up in Austin to take him to North Port in exchange for gas money, adding that he was ultimately heading to Orlando for work. Martinez Briceno also claimed he was unsure of his passenger’s immigration status.
An officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was contacted and confirmed that both men were in the United States illegally. The ICE officer also advised that Martinez Briceno was already actively going through deportation proceedings.
Martinez Briceno was arrested on a felony charge of smuggling an illegal individual into the state. Both men were booked at the Sumter County Detention Center without bond. They remain in custody and will be turned over to ICE.