Montgomery County Pair Accused Of Smuggling 89 Across Border

LAREDO, TX — A Montgomery County man and woman are being accused of smuggling 89 people across the Texas-Mexico border inside a tractor trailer near Laredo, according to a news release from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.

Marc Anthony Bane, 32, from Porter and Tara Renee Dillon, 33, from Conroe were charged with bringing in and harboring aliens in federal court Thursday, court documents show. The pair appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Dos Santos.

According to the release, Bane and Dillon were stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 35 roughly 29 miles north of Laredo, when a K9 allegedly picked up a scent in the trailer. Court documents allege that authorities found 89 noncitizens in the trailer.

Bane expected to be paid $1,000 for transporting the trailer, authorities said.

Bane and Dillon face up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine if convicted.