WATCH: Texas Police Find Semi Truck Crammed with 23 Illegals from Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico on Highway

23 illegal aliens were found inside a semi truck last Friday during a traffic stop on Texas’s IH-35 highway during a probable cause search conducted by state troopers. 

Twenty-four-year-old John Amaya of Laredo, Texas, was arrested and charged with 23 counts of smuggling of persons. The illegal aliens from Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico were referred to Border Patrol, Texas DPS said.

Texas DPS released body camera footage of the traffic stop and arrest just after 5 pm on Friday, November 28.

In the video, Amaya tells police that he has a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) but that he does not have it on him. It was discovered that he was operating the vehicle without a CDL

He declined a search of his vehicle when pulled over, but Texas police used a K-9 to detect contraband and obtain probable cause for a search of the truck. Using a K-9 supercedes the warrant requirement to conduct a search.

Amaya was handcuffed before the search, which found dozens of illegalls in the cab.

WATCH:

Per a press release from the Texas Department of Public Safety:

LAREDO – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) recovered 23 illegal immigrants hidden inside a truck tractor during an Operation Lone Star traffic stop in La Salle Co.

On Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, just after 5:00 p.m., a DPS Trooper conducted a traffic stop on a white Freightliner truck tractor for driving on an improved shoulder along IH-35. During the traffic stop, the Trooper learned that the driver, identified as John David Amaya, 24, from Laredo, was operating the vehicle without a commercial driver license (CDL). With assistance from a Border Patrol K-9, the Trooper ultimately discovered 23 illegal immigrants hidden inside the vehicle’s sleeping area.

Amaya was arrested and charged with 23 counts smuggling of persons – a state jail felony. The 23 illegal immigrants from Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico were referred to Border Patrol.

As a reminder, Governor Greg Abbott signed legislation in 2023 creating a mandatory 10-year minimum prison sentence for individuals convicted of smuggling of persons. If convicted, Amaya could face prison time.

The post WATCH: Texas Police Find Semi Truck Crammed with 23 Illegals from Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico on Highway appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.