Border Patrol Officers Find 149 Illegal Aliens Inside Tractor Trailer During Smuggling Attempt
LAREDO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Interstate Highway 35 (I-35) checkpoint discover illegal aliens inside a commercial trailer during a human smuggling attempt, north of Laredo.
The incident occurred on April 16, when a commercial tractor-trailer approached the checkpoint. Through a non-intrusive scan of the trailer, agents said they saw multiple anomalies inside the trailer. Agents opened the sealed cargo area of the tractor trailer and found the people locked inside. None of them were wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). Thus, they were all medically screened and provided PPE by The U.S. Border Patrol.
Agents determined the individuals were in the United States illegally from the countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, El Salvador, Peru and Ecuador. They were all arrested along with the driver, a U.S. citizen, pending further investigation by Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations.
The agency seized both the tractor and trailer. In a news release, it said that with a noted increase in COVID-19 infections among detainees, "the transporting of large groups of people without PPE in close dangerous quarters endangers the individuals and safety of America."
To report suspicious activity such as alien and/or drug smuggling, contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol at 1.800.343,1994.
