Authorities were in for a surprise during a traffic stop in Texas. A semi-truck was pulled over for violating traffic laws. Upon further investigation, 23 illegal immigrants were found hidden in the back of the cab. They were stuffed in there like sardines. 

Taxes DPS finds 23 immigrants in a semi-truck during traffic stop 

A Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officer spotted a white Freightliner tractor-trailer driving on an improved shoulder along IH-35. 

The officer initiated a traffic stop, and the semi-truck immediately pulled over. Then the officer learned that the driver, identified as 24-year-old John David Amaya, from Laredo, was operating illegally. 

He didn’t have a commercial driver’s license or CDL, which is required for operating semi-trucks. Backup from Border Patrol agents quickly arrived. Then a K-9 officer alerted authorities to something in the cab. 

They found 23 illegal immigrants hidden inside the bunk of the cab. This is beyond feeling like a clown car, as the sleeping area in these rigs only has room for a twin-sized mattress. How did all of these people manage to fit? 

According to DPS Texas, the immigrants were from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Amaya was charged with 23 counts of smuggling persons. 

In 2023, Governor Greg Abbot signed legislation creating a mandatory 10-year minimum prison sentence for individuals convicted of smuggling persons. Things don’t look good for Amaya. 

However, an incredibly dangerous driver has been removed from the road. A semi-truck with a sleeper cab weighs between 15,000 to 25,000 lbs. There’s a reason people go to trucking schools to get their CDLs: to properly handle them.