San Diego

6 People Hidden Inside Wall of Moving Truck at Border: CBP

Customs and Border Protection said officers found six people hidden inside a fake wall of a moving truck trying to enter the country on Thursday.

Officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry discovered an alleged human smuggling attempt involving six Chinese nationals who were concealed inside a fake wall of a moving truck, a press release said.

The driver, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, arrived at the border around noon when a CBP officer noticed that the rear door of the moving truck was slightly open. As the CBP officer was speaking to the driver, a K-9 team alerted officers to a wall of the vehicle.

After prying part of the truck's rear wall open, officers initially discovered one person. The driver was immediately removed from the vehicle and escorted into a secure area for further processing, CBP said.

CBP officers drove the truck to another location where they completely removed the fake wall and found the remaining five Chinese nationals.

The driver was taken to the Metropolitan Correctional Center to await possible criminal proceedings. The six Chinese nationals will face pending criminal and immigration proceedings, CBP reported.

No one found was seriously injured, CBP said.

This comes after British authorities found 39 Vietnamese people aged 15 to 44 dead on Oct. 23 in a refrigerated container truck in England, British police said.

The incident launched a sprawling international investigation into what appeared to be a people-smuggling tragedy.

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