Human-Smuggling Victims Rescued In Houston

HOUSTON, TX — The sweltering summer sun, with the temperature nearing the 95-degree mark, must have turned the interior of the truck into a sauna. Inside, 12 humans, including a minor girl, victim of human trafficking. Houston police officers found them on Sunday afternoon, all alive.

"Thirty more minutes and this could have been a dozen homicide cases," Tom Berg, Harris County First Assistant District Attorney, said in a release.

The 12 individuals had, as reported by various media, been banging on the walls of the truck's cargo container for hours in an attempt to attract attention. They are now being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Three people have been arrested in the case, according to the release: Pricilla Perez Beltran, 21; Nelson Cortes Garcia, 27; and Adela Alvarez, 26. Each has been charged with two counts of human smuggling likely to cause injury or death and one count of human smuggling involving a minor. If convicted, they face as may as 20 years in prison. They are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

ICE spokesman Greg Palmore told the Houston Chronicle that the individuals found in the truck are believed to be from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico.

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