LAREDO, TEXAS – Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents encountered a large human smuggling attempt this week.

A commercial tractor trailer approached the commercial vehicle inspection lanes of a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint yesterday. Agents soon discovered more than 70 people inside the trailer. The group consisted of both male and female subjects. All were found to be illegally present in the United States, from the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. The subjects were outfitted with marked shirts that appear to assist the trafficking organization in classifying/identifying the individuals within the group, a similar methodology used to classify cargo and commodities.

The driver, a U.S. Citizen, and the illegal aliens were placed under arrest, pending investigation. The tractor and trailer were seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.

The case was turned over the Homeland Security Investigations.