SIERRA BLANCA, Texas – United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) canine detection teams recently discovered dozens of illegal immigrants being smuggled in the back of an 18-wheeler on Interstate 10 in western Texas.
According to a CBP news release, border patrol canine detection teams working the Sierra Blanca Checkpoint on Oct. 23 encountered a tractor trailer in the primary inspection lane. When a K-9 officer alerted to the trailer, agents directed the vehicle to the secondary inspection lane, the news release said.
There, agents opened the trailer doors to discover a total of 31 undocumented migrants from Guatemala and Mexico concealed among pallets of crushed aluminum.
“The vigilance and teamwork displayed by agents and their K-9 partners saved multiple individuals from a potentially dangerous situation,” Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Sean L. McGoffin said. “Transnational criminal organizations continue to expose undocumented migrants to unsafe conditions with little to no regard for their well-being.”
The driver and three occupants from the tractor trailer were turned over to Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Office for prosecution. All undocumented migrants were medically evaluated and processed accordingly.
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