Three men have been arrested after officials say they were running an operation to transport undocumented immigrants hidden inside hay bales that were hollowed out.
A traffic stop conducted by a Fayette County Sheriff’s Deputy at around 12:50 p.m. on May 20 led to the human smuggling discovery.
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Deputies stopped a white Ford F-250 pulling a gooseneck hay trailer loaded with round bales on IH-10 near Flatonia, Texas, which is about an hour and 40 minutes west of Houston, situated between Houston and San Antonio.
Closer inspection revealed that the round bales of hay had been hollowed out to create concealed compartments.
Inside these compartments, deputies discovered multiple undocumented individuals being smuggled. The individuals were hidden behind metal frameworks and layers of hay designed to evade detection.
“This method of concealment is not only deceptive but incredibly dangerous to human life,” Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek said. “Smugglers continue to use increasingly creative and hazardous techniques to transport individuals across Texas highways.”
The driver of the vehicle was identified as 44-year-old Delbert Flanders of Kansas. He was taken to the hospital for medical treatment.
Two Houston residents, 22-year-old Adanaylo Lambert and 25-year-old Lency Delgado Fernandez, were identified as alleged coordinators in the operation taken into custody.
Flanders, Lambert and Delgado Fernandez are each facing federal and state charges related to human smuggling.
The undocumented individuals were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for processing.
