Livingston Parish sheriff: Three arrested after planning to transport undocumented immigrants to Alabama

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Two men and one woman are accused of human trafficking after allegedly planning to take three people who entered the country illegally to Alabama.

In August, the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office Homeland Security Task Force began looking into possible human trafficking after being contacted by the Denham Springs Police Department.

Sheriff Jason Ard said police responded to a call about a possible kidnapping at the Pilot Gas Station in Denham Springs. Officers talked to those involved and found signs of human trafficking. They then called in LPSO.

Investigators found three suspects: Kelly Hernandez, 38, and Enrique Gonzales, 27, both from Bessemer, Alabama, and Omar Gonzales, 28, from Mexico. LPSO said they traveled from Alabama to Texas and planned to take three people who had recently entered the U.S. illegally back to Alabama for payment.

All three suspects were booked into the Livingston Parish Detention Center. LPSO said Hernandez and Enrique Gonzales each face three counts of human trafficking. Omar Gonzales faces three counts of human trafficking, along with one count of unlawful entry or re-entry into the state of Louisiana by an illegal alien. Both Enrique and Omar Gonzales are being held on ICE detainers, LPSO said.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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