
Truck Driver and Passenger to be Charged in Mass Human Smuggling Bust
El Paso, TX — A truck driver and a passenger will be charged after U.S. Border and Customs Protections (CBP) agents discovered more than 100 illegal migrants inside a tractor-trailer this week.
According to CBP, the incident began late Sunday night, when Ysleta Border Patrol Agents assigned to the AntiSmuggling (ASU) unit received information regarding suspected smuggling activity taking place at a vacant building.
Information received by Santa Teresa Anti-Smuggling Unit (ASU) also led Ysleta agents to another location in far east El Paso that was being utilized as part of the smuggling scheme.
As part of the investigation, Ysleta ASU agents identified a tractor-trailer involved in the potential smuggling of illegal migrants in the early hours on Monday.
Subsequently, an immigration vehicle stop was conducted on the big rig.
Agents then discovered 132 people packed inside the trailer.
The group of illegal migrants included two unaccompanied children from Guatemala and 130 adults from Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Ecuador.
Each were medically screened and some were “expelled to Mexico,” but CBP did not indicate how many.
Others were transported to the Centralized Processing Center, but again, CBP did not specify how many.
The truck driver and the passenger, who CBP did not identify, will face conspiracy to transport charges.
This incident remains under investigation.