A Texas man was charged Wednesday with multiple counts of smuggling persons after state troopers allegedly discovered 84 illegal immigrants in the cargo area of his dump truck during a routine traffic stop.
The truck was pulled over for a commercial vehicle inspection by highway patrol officers along Interstate Highway 35 in Cotulla, Texas southwest of San Antonio.
Texas Department of Public Safety
According to a statement from the Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS), Robert Flores Jr., 38, had “traveled through a private ranch road circumventing the United States Border Patrol checkpoint in Webb County.”
TDPS spokesperson Lieutenant Chris Olivarez announced on Twitter: “[TDPS] disrupted a human smuggling attempt on IH 35 in Cotulla. The driver attempted to smuggle 60+ illegal immigrants concealed inside a dump truck. Driver arrested & illegal immigrants turned over to #USBP – more details to come.”
In a video shows dozens of migrants attempting to flee officers after exiting the truck’s cargo area during the stop. The migrants were taken into custody by US Border Patrol agents. The migrants were all young males, mainly from Guatemala and Mexico.
