FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas (KWKT) – Multiple people were found concealed in hay bales that had been altered in what Texas authorities are calling a “major human smuggling discovery.”

Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek said a deputy stopped a Ford F-250 pulling a gooseneck hay trailer loaded with round bales on Interstate 10 near Flatonia, about 90 miles east of San Antonio.

While Korenek did not say what prompted the Tuesday traffic stop, he said a close inspection of the hay bales revealed they had been “meticulously altered and hollowed out to create concealed compartments.”

Within the bales, behind metal frameworks and layers of hay, authorities found “multiple undocumented individuals being smuggled in dangerously confined spaces.”

“This method of concealment is not only deceptive but incredibly dangerous to human life,” Korenek wrote on Facebook. “Smugglers continue to use increasingly creative and hazardous techniques to transport individuals across Texas highways.”

The truck’s driver, 44-year-old Delbert Flanders of Kansas, was taken to the hospital for medical treatment. Korenek said 22-year-old Adanaylo Lambert and 25-year-old Lency Delgado Fernandez, both of Houston, coordinated the effort and have been taken into custody.

Federal and state human smuggling charges are expected, Korenek said.

Those found within the hay bales were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for processing.

No additional details were immediately available. Sheriff Korenek said the case remains under investigation.