TUCSON, Ariz. — US Border Patrol agents working at an immigration checkpoint in Whetstone have arrested a Hereford man after finding 10 Mexico residents hidden inside a locked trailer he was towing.

An agent working the primary inspection lane Monday night referred the driver of the vehicle for a secondary inspection.

Agents saw people hiding inside the trailer’s makeshift enclosure through gaps in the plywood.

They had to remove a large bag of cans at the back of the trailer to reach the nine men and one woman packed among appliances.

The Mexican immigrants ranged in age from 18 to 38. They were taken to the Willcox Border Patrol Station to be processed for immigration violations.

The unidentified 49-year-old driver is a US citizen and he is being held on human smuggling charges.