Video shows Texas DPS discovering 17 illegal immigrants concealed in 'cloned' delivery truck compartment.
Cezanne Megel Patterson accused of transporting individuals in a fake home improvement store box truck.
A Mississippi man was arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) after being found with 17 illegal immigrants hidden in a false compartment of a "cloned" home improvement store box truck in Kinney County, as shown in police bodycam footage.
In Jackson, Mississippi, a 28-year-old woman named Cezanne Megel Patterson was arrested and charged with smuggling humans with the potential for severe harm or death.
A Lowe's Home Improvement store delivery truck was stopped by a DPS trooper outside of Del Rio, Texas, on US-277, near the southern border during the early morning hours on Friday.
The trooper interviewed Patterson after stopping the truck and observed him exhibiting "unusual conduct" and inconsistencies in his travel plan, including expired license plates on the vehicle, according to DPS.
When troopers searched the truck, they discovered a false compartment in the cargo area.
The compartment, which was only 3 feet wide, was found to contain 17 illegal immigrants, and the troopers had to use crowbars and other tools to open it. There was no ventilation in the cramped space.
The DPS released a video showing migrants crammed into a small space in multiple positions to maximize the number of people inside.
The DPS stated that the migrants were made up of four females and 13 males from various countries, including Columbia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.
The migrants were instructed to exit the compartment one by one and to position themselves inside the box truck with their legs folded.
They were also treated for dehydration before being referred to Border Patrol.
Patterson was ultimately charged with smuggling humans and causing serious harm or death. He was taken to the Val Verde processing center.
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