The 513 migrants found crammed into the trailers of two 18-wheelers Tuesday came from Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Asia. State police discovered the migrants via an X-ray machine at a checkpoint near the state capital of Chiapas. According to statements made to police, each migrant was to pay 7 thousand dollars upon arrival in the United States.

State police turned over the migrants to immigration authorities who are processing deportation orders.

Thousands of undocumented migrants enter Mexico every week in an attempt to reach the United States, often travelling in dangerous and denigrating conditions. Allegations of corrupt officials are common along the migrant trail. In recent years, organized criminals have muscled into migration routes – setting up smuggling rings, kidnapping for ransom, and trafficking victims into prostitution and forced labor.

Had the migrants discovered yesterday made it all the way to the United States, the smuggling ring would have been owed more than 3.5 million dollars in fees.