A Houston man faces multiple smuggling charges after Texas troopers discovered 16 migrants trapped behind a fake wall in a cargo trailer, highlighting the growing dangers of human trafficking near the U.S.-Mexico border.
A Houston man faces serious charges of human smuggling after a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper uncovered 16 migrants trapped behind a fake wall in a cargo trailer. The discovery, made as part of Operation Lone Star, took place on U.S. Highway 77 in Kenedy County, about 50 miles from the Texas-Mexico border.
The driver, identified as Anthony Johnson, was stopped on September 16 while towing a white pickup truck with a cargo trailer between Brownsville and Kingsville. During a conversation with the trooper, Johnson gave permission to search the trailer. Inside, the trooper discovered a hidden compartment behind a fake wall, where 16 migrants were crammed with no air ventilation and no way to escape in case of an emergency. Using a camera to peer through a small hole in the wall, the trooper located the migrants, who were in life-threatening conditions.
Johnson was immediately arrested and is now facing 16 counts of smuggling persons with the likelihood of serious bodily injury or death. The migrants were handed over to Border Patrol agents following the arrest.
This incident follows a similar discovery earlier this month in Maverick County, where deputies found 26 migrants locked inside an abandoned trailer. The abandoned vehicle was discovered just three miles from the Texas-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, intended for a 160-mile journey to San Antonio. Smuggling cases like these have become increasingly frequent, as law enforcement continues to face dangerous human trafficking operations at the southern border.
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