A U.S. Border Patrol agent says that his nose helped to tip him off after he discovered dozens of unauthorized immigrants in a sweltering trailer near the California-Mexico border.
On Monday before 5 p.m., a California Highway Patrol officer pulled over what appeared to be a UPS truck on Old Highway 80 because the vehicle was weaving and had no tags, according to the San Diego Union Tribune.
Border Patrol Notices Body Odor, Fresh Paint On Fake UPS Truck
While the truck was pulled over, a U.S. Border Patrol agent in an unmarked vehicle stopped and offered to assist the trooper.
The Border Patrol officer says that he noticed something was amiss immediately. He said that the truck was riding “extremely low” and he noticed that the truck had fresh paint on it. The officer also says that he could smell body odor coming from the truck as well as the smell of a soap commonly used in Mexico.
When the officers opened up the trailer, they discovered 77 Mexican nationals packed in the hot truck. Five of the people were children.
Truck Driver Arrested For Human Smuggling
The truck driver, Shawn Lee Seiler, admitted that he had knowingly transported the illegal immigrants. He said that he was supposed to be paid $100 per person. He also said he was only expecting to transport 50 people and that he was surprised that there were so many immigrants inside the trailer.
Seiler was arrested and faces human smuggling charges. He is a U.S. citizen.
UPS said that the truck was a fake.
This is the second major human smuggling bust made by Border Patrol in the past week. On January 26, Border Patrol agents operating near Laredo, Texas, discovered 76 unauthorized immigrants inside a trailer at a checkpoint along Highway 83.