- Mexican smuggler seen putting raft into river between Mexico/Texas
- Illegal immigrants and ladder meant to be used to climb border wall also in raft
- READ MORE: Migrants caught using 10-15 foot ladder to scale border wall
A rarely seen video of an people smuggler in action shows a 17-year-old Mexican teen brazenly leading migrants into the US on a raft equipped with a ladder used to scale the border wall.
The video, captured by Texas Department of Public Safety drones, recorded the trafficker approaching the river that separated the US and Mexico, the Rio Grande, near the city of McAllen.
The 16-year-old guide, part of a cartel criminal organization, places a black raft into the water in the footage.
Some people can be seen getting onto the vessel and bringing a ladder with them.
While the view is partially obscured be vegetation, the raft floats over the the US side.
Once on dry land, migrants run towards the nearby border wall, carrying the ladder.
They can been seen propping it against the border wall, which is 19-30 feet tall in most places.
But before they can even make it up the ladder, state troopers and members of the Texas National Guard arrive to take the illegal immigrants into custody.
The underaged smuggler and five Mexican citizens were taken into custody, Lt. Chris Olivarez of Texas DPS tweeted Thursday.
‘The DPS Unmanned Aerial System Program (Drone) is critical to the Operation Lone Star mission in providing aerial support & situational awareness,’ Olivarez explained.
The Lone Star State now increasingly relies on its fleet of 300 drones, which have flown 71,118 border missions for the state.
State officials also use them to assist federal immigration authorities.
However, the humming flying devices are also used by Mexican cartels.
Criminal organizations use them to spy on US border authorities, to deliver drugs, and have even used them in deadly attacks against rivals and others they consider political enemies in Mexico, the Associated Press reported.