A woman from Texas was taken into custody on Wednesday following an incident in which 25 illegal immigrants were found concealed within a box truck. The discovery was made by troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), who reported that the individuals were hidden behind mattresses and within a crawlspace, lacking any means of ventilation.
The arrested individual, identified as 43-year-old Silvia Patricia Santamaria from Houston, faces 25 counts of human smuggling and has been booked into the Live Oak County Jail.
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The events unfolded shortly after 9:30 a.m. when a concerned citizen alerted a DPS trooper at a truck stop on Interstate 37 in George West, Texas, regarding a minor accident that had occurred in the parking area. Upon approaching the driver of a white 2005 International box truck, later confirmed to be Santamaria, she reportedly stated that she was en route to Houston after collecting mattresses in Alton, Texas.
Upon noticing discrepancies in her account of travel plans, the trooper requested permission to search the vehicle. With assistance from the George West Police Department, the trooper located 25 undocumented immigrants attempting to conceal themselves in a small section of the truck, hidden behind approximately 30 mattresses and within a crawlspace built into the wall of the vehicle. The DPS indicated that there was no ventilation available inside the truck.
