The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) arrested a man from Mississippi after allegedly discovering 17 illegal immigrants packed into a concealed compartment of a “cloned” home improvement store box truck in Kinney County, as shown in police bodycam footage, Fox News reports.

Cezanne Megel Patterson, 28, from Jackson, Mississippi, was taken into custody and charged with human smuggling with the likelihood of causing serious bodily injury or death.

WATCH: DPS Discovers 17 Illegal Immigrants Crammed Inside Hidden Compartment in Cloned Delivery Truck

DPS Troopers working #OperationLoneStar busted a human smuggling attempt during a traffic stop in Kinney County. Troopers discovered 17 illegal immigrants being smuggled inside… pic.twitter.com/kGzp8QjVhg

— Texas DPS (@TxDPS) September 3, 2024

According to a DPS press release, one of its troopers conducted a traffic stop on what seemed to be a Lowe’s Home Improvement store delivery truck near Del Rio, Texas, on US-277, close to the southern border, in the early morning hours on Friday.

After pulling the truck over, the trooper interviewed Patterson and observed “strange behavior” along with several discrepancies in his travel details, including expired tags on the vehicle, DPS stated.

Patterson allowed the troopers to search the truck. Upon inspection, they discovered a hidden compartment toward the front of the cargo area. Using crowbars and other tools, the troopers pried open the compartment and found 17 illegal immigrants packed into the narrow 3-foot-wide space, which had no ventilation.

Video footage released by DPS showed the individuals positioned in various ways to fit as many people as possible inside the cramped compartment.

DPS reported that the group consisted of four females and 13 males from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. All 17 illegal immigrants were instructed to exit the compartment one at a time and to sit with their legs crossed inside the box truck. They were also given treatment for dehydration before being handed over to Border Patrol.

Patterson was ultimately charged with human smuggling, which posed a risk of serious bodily injury or death, and was taken to the Val Verde processing center.