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The accused mastermind of a multistate human smuggling operation is expected in federal court today. The Justice Department says Erminia Piedra was one of eight people arrested on Tuesday in a two-million-dollar operation that spanned four states, including Texas. Illegal immigrants from Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico reportedly paid the smugglers about eight-thousand-dollars to be taken to cities such as Austin and San Antonio. The illegals were reportedly hidden in suitcases, water tanks, and wooden crates.