U.S. Customs and Border Protection

LAREDO – (News Release) Laredo North Station agents working at the Interstate Highway 35 (I-35) immigration checkpoint stopped a human smuggling attempt involving a commercial box truck.

 The incident happened shortly before noon on March 22, when a rental box truck approached the primary inspection lane at the I-35 checkpoint.  A Service canine alerted agents to the possible presence of concealed humans and/or narcotics within the vehicle.  Agents conducted a search of the cargo area of the box truck and discovered 17 undocumented individuals inside from the countries of Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala.  All subjects including the driver, a U.S. citizen, were medically screened and provided with personal protective equipment.  All were taken into custody to be processed accordingly.