LAREDO, TEXAS — A truck driver is facing more than two dozen felony charges after Texas state troopers discovered 23 undocumented immigrants packed inside the sleeping compartment of a semi-truck during a traffic stop on Interstate 35, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

^{Photo credit: DPS – South Texas Region}

The stop occurred on Friday, November 28, 2025, just after 5 p.m. in La Salle County, where a DPS trooper pulled over a white Freightliner traveling on the improved shoulder of I-35 as part of Operation Lone Star. During the traffic stop, troopers discovered that the driver did not have a commercial driver’s license. A subsequent search involving a U.S. Border Patrol K-9 unit led officers to the sleeper berth, where they found 23 individuals tightly concealed inside the compartment.

^{Photo credit: DPS – South Texas Region}

According to FOX 26 Houston, the driver was identified as John David Amaya, 24, of Laredo. He was immediately arrested and charged with 23 counts of smuggling of persons, a state jail felony under Texas law. The individuals found hidden inside the truck were determined to be from Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico. They were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol.

Under legislation signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2023, anyone convicted of smuggling persons in Texas faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in state prison. If convicted, Amaya could face decades behind bars.

The case remains under investigation as authorities continue to assess how the smuggling attempt was organized and whether additional suspects were involved.

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