Border Patrol agents arrested a United States man after they found multiple people concealed in his tractor-trailer who were “sweating profusely,” of which one person told authorities she feared for her life, according to a criminal complaint.
Reinaldo Sanchez was arrested Sunday at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint and is charged with knowingly with reckless disregard attempting to transport people illegally present in the U.S.
Agents encountered Sanchez at around 11:50 p.m. in a red 2013 Freightliner tractor-truck pulling a white Wabush trailer with a passenger, the complaint said.
When asked if there was anyone else in the vehicle, Sanchez said no and added that he wasn’t hauling anything in his trailer. He said he was heading to Laredo.
While being questioned, a canine unit performing a free air sniff alerted its handler who requested the tractor-trailer be sent to the secondary inspection area.
“At secondary, further inspection revealed a total of five subjects located inside the cab bed attempting to conceal themselves under a thin foam mattress,” the complaint said. “The subjects were sweating profusely as agents removed them from inside the cab.”
One of the women stated she felt like she was going to suffocate due to it being hard to breathe in the confined area and said she feared for her life.
The five subjects were determined to be citizens from Mexico and Guatemala and were arrested along with Sanchez and his passenger.
Federal court records did not immediately indicate what the passenger was charged with and the complaint also did not disclose what they were charged with.
Sanchez is set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason B. Libby in Corpus Christi federal court Tuesday afternoon for his initial appearance, court records indicate.
