Mexico intercepted more than 500 illegal immigrants on their way to cross into the US, with 206 of them being found forcibly drugged inside an abandoned trailer.
The discovery comes as the authorities crack down on illegal transportation practices, per New York Post.
The 206 drugged illegal immigrants were found by Mexico’s National Institute of Migration (INM), which said that the group was “locked in airtight compartments of an abandoned trailer” in Puente Nacional, Veracruz.
Those found in the trailer included men, women, and children. All of them were reportedly wearing identification bracelets.
The illegal immigrants were on their way from Guatemala and Honduras and were “forced to ingest substances to endure their confinement,” the INM stated. The report noted that the illegal immigrants were “cramped, dehydrated, and medicated” to mitigate their basic needs for the long trip.
Officials said there were 132 illegal immigrants traveling in family units from Guatemala and three families from Honduras. There were also three adults traveling independently from Honduras.
The INM said: “The minors and family units were transferred to the National System for Integral Family Development (DIF), while the adult individuals were taken to INM facilities to undergo the corresponding immigration procedures.”
The trailer carrying the illegal immigrants was modified in order to evade X-ray detection at checkpoints. The vehicle was modified with “airtight material” and also had a second level.
The vehicle was given over to the Attorney General’s Office in Veracruz after it was abandoned by alleged traffickers. The driver of the trailer fled.
