American Smuggling Illegal Aliens Crashes Plane in Texas, Escapes

A notice for pilot Tobias Peters, who is wanted for human smuggling and other charges, after his plane crashed while he was smuggling five illegal aliens in Texas on Dec. 30, 2021. Presidio County Sheriff’s Office

Texas law enforcement is looking for the pilot of a small plane that crashed while he was smuggling illegal aliens into the United States on Dec. 30, 2021.

Pilot Tobias Penner Peters was attempting to smuggle five illegal immigrants when he crashed north of the Presidio Lely International Airport near Marfa, a remote border region in southwest Texas, according to the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office.

“Peters then fled the scene and left multiple individuals at the scene with severe bodily injuries,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. No deaths were reported. Officials didn’t say which countries the illegal immigrants were from.

Peters is suspected to have severe head trauma and potentially lost an eye in the accident, officials said.

The scene of a plane crash in which the pilot is wanted for human smuggling and other charges, after his plane crashed while he was smuggling five illegal aliens into Presidio, Texas, on Dec. 30, 2021. Presidio County Sheriff’s Office

He is wanted for human smuggling, evading arrest, and deadly conduct.

Peters’ home address is in Seminole, Texas, but he’s known to travel to and from Ojinaga, Mexico, authorities said.

In the past two months, the Border Patrol has apprehended more than 324,000 illegal immigrants crossing the southern U.S. border, according to Customs and Border Protection statistics.

The numbers are on pace to hit close to 2 million for the current fiscal year.