Border Patrol agents intercepted a sizeable human smuggling attempt at the Interstate Highway 35 Checkpoint just north of Laredo, Texas, involving 85 adults and five juveniles, according to a March 10 release.
The incident happened on the evening of March 5 when a gray tractor pulling a white trailer was held at the Interstate checkpoint by Border Patrol officers for inspection. Alerted by a K-9, officers requested the trailer to be opened for inspection.
"Upon opening the trailer, agents discovered a large group of people inside. A total of 90 people, including five unaccompanied juveniles, were discovered and removed from the trailer," the statement read.
The passengers were from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, and were all without proper paperwork. All passengers and the driver—a U.S. citizen—were taken into custody and transferred to Homeland Security Investigations.