River News Now Breaking News Travel

Laredo, Texas - Border Patrol agents from the Laredo North station detained 27 undocumented aliens after interdicting a smuggling attempt today.

Just after midnight Thursday, agents manning the checkpoint located on Interstate 35 north of Laredo conducted an immigration inspection of the driver of a tractor trailer. A service canine alerted agents to the trailer and indicated to the presence of people or contraband.

The vehicle was referred for secondary inspection and examined by the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System, which uses gamma rays to produce an image similar to an x-ray. The machine image showed what appeared to be humans among boxes of cargo that was listed as electronic equipment on the bill of lading. Agents opened the sealed trailer and discovered 27 people standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a narrow aisle between the boxes of cargo.Agents determined that all of the people were undocumented aliens. Two of the people requested medical attention and were treated for dehydration by medically trained Border Patrol agents.

One of the aliens had an outstanding arrest warrant on DUI charges and was turned over to the Webb County Sheriffs Office. The remaining members of the group were prosecuted for entry without inspection under the Streamline Laredo initiative or processed for removal from the U.S.

The driver was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.