A minivan with 16 people packed inside was pulled over on Interstate 70 in the Colorado mountains today, the third suspected immigrant-trafficking case on the highway this week.
“It appears that it is another case of human smuggling,” State Patrol Master Trooper Ron Watkins said.
A trooper pulled the van over near the east portal of the Eisenhower Tunnel about 45 miles west of Denver because it was holding back traffic and its windows were obscured, Watkins said.
The van was reported stolen from North Carolina, he said.
Two people were being held for investigation and the others were to be turned over to federal immigration authorities, Clear Creek County Sheriff Don Krueger said.
Their names and immigration status were not immediately available.
On Tuesday, a minivan carrying 15 people crashed during a snowstorm, killing four passengers. The driver, Jose Francisco Franco-Rodriguez, 23, was arrested on suspicion of human smuggling, careless driving resulting in death and other charges.
Investigators said he ran from the scene but was captured later.
Authorities said the passengers were believed to be illegal immigrants.
On Thursday, three people were arrested and 12 others were turned over to the Mexican Consulate in Denver after their minivan had stopped because of a mechanical problem, Krueger said.
Jorge Trujillo Gonzalez, 35; Ignacio Alejandro Hernandez-Trujillo, 30; and Reydavid Valdez Pacheco, 30, were being held for investigation of human smuggling and other charges, officials said.
