DEL RIO, TEXAS—Agents working near the intersection of FM 2011 and FM 2644, around 3 a.m. Tuesday, attempted to perform an immigration check on a vehicle after it passed them at a high rate of speed. After stopping once and pulling away, the vehicle - a 2007 Ford F-250 pickup - eventually stopped on FM 2644.
The driver, a 40-year-old Mexican citizen, had a small amount of cocaine in his possession. Agents found a total of 19 people hiding in the pickup truck. The driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for federal prosecution for alien smuggling (8 USC 1324). Of the 19 passengers in the pickup, nine were from Mexico, six were from El Salvador and four were from Guatemala. Seven of the group were juveniles, including a 20-month-old.
The Del Rio Border Patrol Sector is part of the South Texas Campaign, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations.