Former National Guard member pleads guilty to human smuggling in Texas

A former National Guard soldier has pleaded guilty to human smuggling charges, admitting to driving migrants from border towns further up north in Texas during his deployment.

Derrick Terelle Sankey admitted to driving the migrants in Starr and Hidalgo counties to locations near Jim Wells County between March and September, 2021, Stars and Stripes reported, based on documents filed in the Southern District of Texas.

Sankey was recruited by smugglers and mostly worked as a scout, looking to recruit other law enforcement members who could stop cars driving migrants. He was paid based on the amount of people he drove up north.

He admitted to the charges as part of a plea deal, which led to another drug-related offense against him being dropped. He had initially pleaded not guilty but was indicted by a grand jury on a second charge almost three years later. Should he be found guilty of the charges that still stand, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Sankey has been allowed to remain free on bond until his sentencing hearing, which is set to take place on November 12. According to the aforementioned outlet, "at least three other National Guard soldiers from Texas and Louisiana and the active Army had been arrested for charges of smuggling migrants while deployed to the border."