Police find 90 people crammed in Texas home in suspected human smuggling case
Paramedics transport a man into an ambulance from the scene of a human smuggling case, where more than 90 undocumented immigrants were found inside a home on the 12200 block of Chessington Drive on Apr 30, 2021, in Houston.(Photo: AP/Godofredo A. Vásquez/Houston Chronicle)
HOUSTON: More than 90 people were found in a suburban home in southwestern Houston that investigators suspect was part of a human smuggling operation, police said Friday (Apr 30).
Authorities initially served a search warrant at the house after someone called police Thursday night to report a loved one was being held there, said Assistant Police Chief Daryn Edwards.
A special-tactics team entered the house, Edwards said, and found a large, huddled group of adults.
The 90 victims, all but about five of them men, were removed from the house and given food and water, said Edwards.
"They basically (were) in there in their basic clothing and all, all huddled together. So that's what we saw when we got in," he said. No children were found among them.
At least several of the people showed symptoms of COVID-19 infection, including fever and lack of taste or smell, Edwards said. The victims told police they had not eaten recently.
The victims were issued personal protective gear and put onto white buses. It was not immediately clear where they were being taken.
Anybody who tested positive would likely be quarantined, Edwards said.
Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were seen at the house along with local police and firefighters.
Edwards said no arrests had been made in the case as of Friday afternoon and declined to offer further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
