A man has been arrested after U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered multiple individuals hiding inside a trailer loaded with lumber, according to an arrest affidavit.

A blue SUV pulling a trailer with lumber arrived at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 35. The driver, identified as Jorge Gonzalez, was referred for secondary inspection after a K-9 unit alerted to possible contraband.

Agents searched the trailer and found 17 people concealed in a hidden compartment built into the lumber. All were determined to be immigrants in the U.S. without legal status. Gonzalez and the individuals were detained for further investigation.

Homeland Security Investigations special agents later took over the case. According to the affidavit, Gonzalez agreed to speak without legal representation and admitted he did not have a driver’s license. He allegedly acknowledged knowing he was transporting something illegal and said he was to be paid approximately $2,000 to drive the trailer toward San Antonio, Texas.

Gonzalez was arrested and charged with transport, attempt to transport, and conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants.

One of the individuals, a Mexican national held as a material witness, told investigators he paid a smuggler for transportation into the U.S. and described difficulty breathing inside the wooden compartment. He was unable to identify the driver.