Mexican police intercept 20 illegal migrants, arrest two traffickers

Police detained two alleged human traffickers in the central Mexican state of San Luis Potosi while they were transporting 20 illegal migrants from Guatemala and El Salvador in a van along a highway, the local government said on Friday.

The state's Ministry of Public Security (SSP) said the arrest took place on a highway that connects San Luis Potosi with neighboring state Hidalgo, when police detected the van during a patrol.

According to the official report, the van was parked at the side of the road. This caused the state police to check the vehicle and ask the people inside if they needed help.

However, when they looked inside the van, they became suspicious when one of the migrants asked the officers for water as they were showing signs of dehydration, and none of them carried identification.

The two alleged human traffickers were taking the migrants to the city of Monterrey, in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, as part of the migrants route to Mexico's northern neighbor, the police said.

The state police helped the migrants by giving them food and water, since various were showing symptoms of dehydration, and then they were referred Mexico's migration authorities to allow the migrants to define their immigration status.

The two alleged human traffickers were taken to the state prosecutor to continue the investigation. Endit