(Smuggling attempt thwarted)…It happened Monday evening.

A man drove a semi with a load of hay into Highway 86 Checkpoint. A Border Patrol K-9 Detection Team alerted to the trailer. Agents searched the trailer and found 13 illegal immigrants concealed under several bales of hay. The Border Patrol agents say with the weight of the bales and the way they were placed, the 13 people were trapped with no way to escape. The 13 were removed from the hay and agents performed a welfare check on each one to determine none needed medical attention. The 42 year old driver of the rig, a resident of Mexicali, was also in this country illegally. The 13 pulled from the hay, 12 adult males and one female, all from Mexico, and the driver were placed under arrest. The driver was charged with alien smuggling. The other 13 were deported back to Mexico.