Man Gets 10 Year Sentence in Cloned Truck Human Smuggling Case (South Texas Region)

DEL RIO – The man arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for smuggling more than a dozen illegal immigrants inside a cloned home improvement store delivery truck last year will spend the next decade behind bars. Cezanne Megel Patterson, 29, of Jackson, Miss., was sentenced to 10 years of confinement in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison on July 24, 2025. 

“Patterson’s case is the perfect example of the dangerous lengths smugglers will go to when risking human lives for profit,” said DPS South Texas Region Chief Arturo Dela Garza. “Human smuggling is a serious crime, and I am proud of the collaborative work between our State Troopers and local prosecutors to hold smugglers, like Patterson, accountable.”

“Our office is thankful for the hard work of Trooper Sara Hernandez and lead prosecutor Assistant District Attorney Amanda Poole in bringing this case to a successful sentence,” said Texas 63rd Judicial District Attorney Suzanne West. “We could not finish these cases without the cooperation of DPS and our other law enforcement partners. I would also like to thank Investigator Tom Wylie for all the background work that goes into completing a case like this.”  

Back on Aug. 30, 2024, a DPS Trooper conducted a traffic stop on a what appeared to be a Lowe’s Home Improvement Store delivery truck along US-277 outside of Del Rio. During a search of the vehicle, which Patterson was driving, the Trooper discovered 17 illegal immigrants crammed inside a three-foot-wide false compartment area with no air ventilation. Patterson was immediately arrested and charged with smuggling of persons with the likelihood of serious bodily injury or death. The original press release and video of Patterson’s arrest is available here. 

This case, which was investigated by DPS and prosecuted by the Border Prosecution Unit with Texas’ 63rd Judicial District Court in Brackettville, was subject to enhanced penalties for human smuggling signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in 2023. The legislation set a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence for smuggling of persons.

Patterson’s prosecution and sentencing highlights DPS’ ongoing commitment to work with local prosecutors and state leaders to target transnational criminal activity and secure the border under Operation Lone Star.

###(DPS – South Texas Region)