DPS Troopers Uncover 17 Illegal Immigrants in Hidden Compartment During Traffic Stop.
DEL RIO – During Operation Lone Star, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Troopers uncovered 17 illegal immigrants hidden in a concealed compartment of a cloned delivery truck.
On the morning of Friday, August 30, a DPS Trooper pulled over what appeared to be a Lowe’s Home Improvement Store delivery truck on US-277 near Del Rio. The Trooper noticed inconsistencies in the driver’s travel itinerary and observed unusual behavior. After the driver agreed to a search, Troopers found a hidden compartment in the truck’s cargo area. They used specialized tools to open the compartment and discovered 17 illegal immigrants packed into the space, which was only three feet wide and lacked ventilation.
The group, comprising four women and 13 men from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, was removed from the compartment. Several individuals were treated for dehydration before being handed over to Border Patrol.
The driver, Cezanne Megel Patterson, 28, from Jackson, Mississippi, was arrested and charged with smuggling individuals, with the possibility of serious bodily harm or death. He was taken to the Val Verde Processing Center.