Border Patrol Agents Find 16 Migrants Locked in Box Truck

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents found a group of Mexican migrants being smuggled in the back of a box truck loaded with furniture.

Agents assigned to the Highway 83 Border Patrol Checkpoint observed a box truck approaching the checkpoint for inspection. The agents referred the truck to a secondary inspection station. When the agents unlocked and opened the back of the truck, they discovered a group of migrants, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from Laredo Sector Border Patrol officials.

The Highway 83 checkpoint is located northwest of the border town of Laredo. It is about 40 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Border Patrol agents told Breitbart Texas in the past that drug and human smuggling in this area is controlled by the Los Zetas Cartel.

The inspection revealed 16 illegal immigrants pack inside. They appeared to be hiding among furniture in the truck.

The agents arrested the driver, a U.S. citizen.

Despite the hot conditions in the box truck, the migrants appeared to be in good health.

“These criminal organizations view these individuals as mere commodities without regard for their safety,” Laredo Sector Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Gabriel Acosta said in a written statement. “The blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle these organizations and prosecute those responsible.”

During Fiscal Year 2018, which began on October 1, 2017, Laredo Sector agents rescued nearly 700 as part of an initiative to help reduce and prevent the deaths of migrants at the hands of human smugglers.