1McALLEN, TX – A suspected human smuggler is in federal custody after a high-speed chase ended in a crash with law enforcement and the capture of five undocumented migrants near the Texas-Mexico border on Tuesday morning.

Cesar Rafael Leon, 34, of Pharr, allegedly picked up five individuals who had just crossed the Rio Grande River by raft in Mercedes. According to federal charges, when law enforcement attempted a traffic stop, Leon refused to pull over, triggering a 15-minute pursuit.

Authorities deployed a vehicle immobilization device, but Leon kept fleeing, eventually ramming into a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) vehicle and driving the wrong way down the highway. The chase ended in a shopping plaza in Weslaco, where Leon was taken into custody following a brief foot pursui

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