Dozen People Found Smuggled in Hollowed-Out Hay Bales

Fayette County Sheriff’s deputies caught a dozen undocumented individuals who were being smuggled inside some hollowed-out hay bales on Interstate 10 Tuesday afternoon.

Sheriff Keith Korenek reports that on May 20, Fayette County Drug Interdiction Sgt. Randy Thumann was patroling Interstate 10 near Flatonia. Around 12:50 p.m., he stopped a white Ford F-250 heading east on Interstate 10. The pickup was pulling a gooseneck trailer loaded with round hay bales.

The report said a close inspection revealed “the round bales of hay had been meticulously altered and hollowed out to create concealed compartments.”

“Inside those compartments, deputies discovered multiple undocumented individuals being smuggled in dangerously confined spaces,” the report said. “The individuals were hidden behind metal frameworks and layers of hay designed to evade detection.

“This method of concealment is not only deceptive but incredibly dangerous to human life,” the report went on to say. “Smugglers continue to use increasingly creative and hazardous techniques to transport individuals across Texas highways.”

The driver, 44-year-old Delbert Flanders of Kansas, was taken to a hospital for unknown medical issues, the Sheriff’s Office said. Two other individuals, 22-yearold Adanaylo Lambert and 25-year-old Lency Delgado Fernandez, both of Houston, were arrested and face federal and state charges related to human smuggling. The Sheriff’s Office described Lambert and Fernandez as the “coordinators of the operation.” Flanders will also face criminal charges, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The Sheriff’s Office turned over 12 undocumented individuals to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for processing.

“This case remains under investigation by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office in coordination with federal authorities,” the Sheriff’s report stated.