U.S. Border Patrol agents working at the Falfurrias checkpoint found 26 illegal aliens in the back of a rental truck late Friday. The driver of the vehicle is a U.S. citizen.

The driver drove up to the primary inspection lane, but a K9 officer alerted Border Patrol agents to the cargo part of the trailer.

Agents arrested the driver and offered medical attention to those packed in the modified compartment. They declined assistance.

“It is truly disheartening to see ruthless smugglers continue to use tactics that recklessly jeopardize human life,” said Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla, Jr. “We need to stand together and deliver the message that these immigrants are humans, not cargo.”

Breitbart Texas has provided extensive coverage of the human loss that occurs with human trafficking.

In August, a Florida truck driver was indicted after 10 illegal aliens lost their lives when they were smuggled in the back of his trailer. Temperatures reached more than 110 degrees for several hours on July 23 when they were found. Those who died were in their late teens and their twenties, and the other two were 36 and 37 years of age. Four juveniles also required hospitalization. The driver, James Matthew Bradley, Jr. faces life in prison or perhaps even the death penalty. Bradley allegedly locked the illegal aliens in the compartment.

In October, Bradley pleaded guilty to transporting undocumented aliens resulting in death. He admitted that he conspired to transport and did transport illegal aliens into the country with reckless disregard that they illegally entered the U.S. He also acknowledged that his part in the scheme resulted in 10 of them dying. Eight of the illegal aliens found in the back of the trailer in the Walmart parking lot in San Antonio were dead when they were discovered. Two others later died at a local hospital.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is “encouraging the public to take a stand against crime in their communities and to help save lives by reporting suspicious activity.” They list the number to call as 800-863-9382.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, Gab, and Facebook.