Officers find 18 illegal immigrants in stolen van

April 7, 2010 6:25 PM ET

KINGSTON, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee investigators said they have discovered 18 illegal immigrants and arrested the driver of a stolen California van in intercepting a human smuggling operation west of Knoxville.

Roane County investigator John Sanchez said a drug task force officer spotted the passenger van eastbound on Interstate 40 about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

A drug team statement said the van was traveling "recklessly."

The statement says the investigation revealed a "human smuggling operation" that started in Houston and was en route to an unknown location in New York.

The driver, Juan Curios Vega Hernandez of North Hills, Calif., was being held at the Roane County Jail on a theft charge. Sanchez said there was no lawyer hired. Federal agents detained the passengers, including a teenager.



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