Sheriff: Human Trafficking Victims Packed in Truck Bed

 

ALBANY, TX – Over the weekend the Shackelford County Sheriff's Office arrested a suspect on 19 charges of human trafficking near Albany.

According to Sheriff Ed Miller, he has never had to deal with a human trafficking case of this caliber.

The discovery was made when officers pulled over an F-150 on Highway 180. Miller believes the driver stayed off I-20 on the way to Dallas in order to avoid law enforcement.

According to Miller, 14 of the 19 victims were crammed in the bed of the truck. Officers found blankets and empty food cans. The other five were located in the front of the truck.

Victims Packed Back of F-150

Victims Packed Back of F-150

"That long on the road locked in a bed of a pickup is very dehumanizing," said Miller. "With no way to move, no way to run, and no way to get fresh air and the exhaust fumes."

During the subsequent investigation, officers discovered the six females and thirteen males paid the driver $500.

By Tuesday morning the last three trafficking victims were transported from the Shackelford County Jail to processing centers in Texas.

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