A traffic stop on Interstate 35 in Webb County led to the discovery of 20 illegal aliens concealed inside the sleeping compartment of a commercial truck tractor.
The driver, identified as 25-year-old Miguel Angel Velazquez Chavez, a Mexican national, was arrested on charges of smuggling of persons and evading arrest, according to information released by the agency.
A DPS trooper pulled over a white Volvo truck tractor near mile marker 28 shortly after 6 p.m. on May 18, the agency said. Velazquez Chavez allegedly ran from the vehicle on foot but was taken into custody by law enforcement at the scene.
Troopers then searched the cab and located 20 people hidden in the sleeping quarters, including four minors, authorities said. Investigators determined the individuals were from Mexico and Guatemala.
Velazquez Chavez was booked into the Webb County Jail.
The 20 individuals were turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol, according to DPS. The case remains under investigation as part of Operation Lone Star.
