A 20-year-old Laredo man is facing smuggling charges. A 31-year-old man died in south Laredo. Police say the man jumped out of a moving pickup truck. That same truck then ran him over.

Laredo police arrested Mark Anthony Sanchez on Tuesday night. They say he was behind the wheel. The case shows how deadly a smuggling run can get. The people packed inside pay the price.

The crash happened Tuesday. It happened near the 2400 block of Cross Street and South Martin Avenue. That is in south Laredo. Police say the 31-year-old man jumped from the truck. The truck was still moving. The truck hit him right after. Medics rushed to the scene. They could not save him. He died right there.

Police have not released the victim's name. He was a Hispanic man. He was 31 years old. An autopsy will show how he died. It will show if he died from the fall. Or if he died from being hit by the truck. That report is not done yet.

Officers say the dark pickup took off before police got to the scene. Detectives tracked the truck down. They arrested Sanchez that same night.

Sanchez faces two smuggling charges. Both fall under the crime of smuggling people. One charge is a first-degree felony. Under Texas law, that can mean 5 years to life in prison. The other charge is a third-degree felony. That one can mean 2 to 10 years in prison. Under Texas law, the top smuggling charge can go up when someone dies during a smuggling run.

Police say the case may tie to another call. That call came earlier the same morning. It was a burglary call. Someone broke into a home on Pitaya Drive. The homeowner followed a truck. He thought it was tied to the break-in. Police say early evidence points one way. The victim and another man at that home may have been migrants. They may have just crossed into the country. Police have not said how the two calls connect. They call that part of the case still open.

South Laredo sits blocks from the Rio Grande. Smuggling loads often move through the area. They head north through Texas. Drivers who haul migrants for cash face steep penalties. The penalties get worse when a rider ends up dead.

Laredo has seen a string of smuggling cases this year. Drivers pack people into trucks and cars. They often drive fast to dodge checkpoints. Riders sometimes jump out to run from police. Some get hurt. Some do not survive.

Laredo police call this an active investigation. "The case remains an active investigation. Additional persons and charges may be pending," LPD said. That means more arrests could come. More charges could come too. Detectives are still working to piece together how the burglary call and the deadly crash tie together.

Anyone with information can call the Laredo Police Department. Or call Laredo Crime Stoppers. Tips can stay anonymous.