Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
RAYMONDVILLE, Texas (AP) — A South Texas sheriff says the discovery of 86 immigrants in the back of a tractor-trailer represents one of the largest cases of human trafficking he's encountered in more than 30 years.
Willacy County Sheriff Larry Spence told The Monitor newspaper Wednesday that some inside the trailer punched a hole in the roof to escape when the rig was pulled over.
The U.S. Border Patrol says a Texas trooper stopped the tractor-trailer late Tuesday near Raymondville, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the border, following a call about suspicious activity.
Officials say two suspected smugglers have been arrested.
Authorities say the people entered the country illegally and came from Guatemala, Honduras and other countries. The youngest was 3 years old.
They were hiding behind crates of rotten produce.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
