16 Illegal Immigrants Found During South Texas Traffic Stop, Driver Arrested for Smuggling

On January 28, 2025, just after 5:00 p.m., the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Criminal Investigations Division (CID) and the Texas Highway Patrol (THP) made a significant human smuggling bust during Operation Lone Star (OLS) in Webb County.

DPS Special Agents and Troopers responded to a possible human smuggling attempt in central Laredo. A traffic stop was initiated on a 2015 Kenworth truck tractor semi-trailer at the intersection of Tesoro Lane and San Bernardo Avenue for a traffic violation. A consent search of the vehicle revealed 16 illegal immigrants, including thirteen males and three females, hidden inside the truck tractor.

The driver, Jose Angel Rosas, 55, of Laredo, was arrested for smuggling of persons. The 16 individuals, from the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Mexico, were turned over to the United States Border Patrol.