Houston woman arrested after 25 migrants found in box truck
Silvia Patricia Santamaria, 43, of Houston, Texas, was arrested and charged with 25 counts of smuggling of persons (Source: Texas Department of Public Safety)
HOUSTON - A Texas state trooper found 25 migrants hidden in a sweltering box truck in South Texas on Wednesday after a tip from a concerned citizen. The migrants were found after a minor traffic accident.
Driver's Story Raises Suspicion
The trooper was investigating a minor crash at a truck stop on Interstate 37 in George West when the discovery was made. The driver of the 2005 International box truck, Silvia Patricia Santamaria, 43, of Houston, told the trooper she was hauling mattresses from Alton to Houston.
What we know:
Finding her story inconsistent, the trooper requested to search the vehicle. With assistance from the George West Police Department, the trooper found 25 people hidden in a small, poorly ventilated space behind a stack of 30 mattresses and within a crawl space in the truck's wall.
Migrants from Eight Countries Found
The group consisted of 12 men, 12 women, and an 11-year-old child. They were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, India, Cuba, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.
All 25 individuals were immediately removed from the truck for medical assessment before being referred to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Santamaria was arrested and charged with 25 counts of smuggling of persons. She was taken to the Live Oak County Jail.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Texas Department of Public Safety.