see also: in February 2008:   Marijuana Seized by CBP Officers at San Luis, Ariz. Port   Border Patrol in Tucson Seizes 4 Tons of Marijuana   CBP Officers in Philadelphia Discover Venomous 8-Legged Stowaway   Arizona Event to Assist Border Patrol Applicants   Departments of Justice and Homeland Security Announce International Initiative Against Traffickers in Counterfeit Network Hardware   Border Patrol Apprehends 62 Illegal Migrants Hiding in Arizona House   CBP Officers in Calif. Find Smuggled Women in Truck Engine Compartment ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this news release

Laredo, Texas – Border Patrol agents assigned to the Laredo North station rescued a total of 97 illegal aliens from seven human smuggling attempts Thursday.

Agents working at the checkpoint on Interstate Highway 35 north of Laredo found illegal aliens in seven different tractor-trailers while conducting routine immigration inspections. All of the groups were discovered within a six-hour period, beginning in the early evening.

The incidents included one group of 32 aliens, another group of 23 aliens and two other groups of 15 aliens each. All of the incidents are being investigated as individual cases.

Some of the aliens were found in the cabs of the trucks but most were found in the trailers. None of the aliens requested or required medical attention.

The trucks, the drivers and the aliens were turned over to ICE agents.

To report suspicious activity such as drug and/or alien smuggling, contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol toll free telephone number at 1 (800) 343-1994.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.