110 People Found in Stash House

Authorities raided a house in southeast Houston on Wednesday, believing a woman and her children were held there. Instead, they found 110 people imprisoned in a “stash house.” The people, presumed to be in the country illegally, were locked in the house by smugglers until they could pay for their freedom. A tipster told authorities he was being extorted by these men over relatives from Central America. Three suspected smugglers were arrested when they tried to run. The prisoners were forced to sit on each others’ laps, they were hungry and thirsty.