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Border Patrol finds four hidden in sleeper compartment at checkpoint

A woman from South Carolina was convicted by a federal jury in Texas for human smuggling. The verdict was reached late on July 15, 2025, after a two-day trial in Laredo.

What happened: Back in April, Border Patrol officers found four people hiding in the sleeper compartment of a semi truck at a checkpoint near Laredo. Sharon Thompkins, age 46, was in the passenger seat while another man, Ralph Young, was driving the rig.

  • Agents spotted something unusual with an x-ray scan and searched the truck.
  • Authorities say Thompkins told the four to sit on the sleeper bed and closed the curtains, trying to hide them.
  • The defense argued she was only along for the ride, but the jury didn’t agree.

Ralph Young has already pleaded guilty to charges linked to the case and is also waiting to be sentenced.

Thompkins will be sentenced in September 2025. She could face up to five years in federal prison and as much as a $250,000 fine, according to a Justice Department press release.

Both Thompkins and Young remain in custody until sentencing.

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