Texas DPS trooper discovers two migrants hidden in gas tank

Laredo man charged with two counts of human smuggling, TX DPS says

Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles outside of the state Capitol in Austin on Aug. 11, 2021. (Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune, Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune)

Webb County, TX – Two migrants were found by a Texas trooper last week inside a gas tank along the southwestern Texas border, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson.

The trooper stopped the commercial vehicle and began searching the truck’s cab on Nov. 8 in Webb County, about 163 miles from San Antonio. That’s when the migrants were found hidden in the gas tank, according to a social media post detailing the incident.

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The driver, Rico Gonzalo of Laredo, was charged with two counts of human smuggling, said Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The two migrants were referred to U.S. Border Patrol, Olivarez said.


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Avery Meurer is a Content Gatherer for KSAT 12. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Communications/Radio, Television and Film, as well as a Creative Writing Certificate. A native San Antonian, Avery attended the Northeast School of the Arts (NESA) majoring in musical theater and creative writing.

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