Suspected human smugglers were arrested this week while allegedly attempting to hide migrants inside modified hay bales, officials said.

Deputies conducting a routine traffic stop on a pickup pulling a hay trailer Tuesday near Flatonia, Texas, noticed that the bales inside the trailer had been hollowed out to create compartments, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said. 

After looking more closely, the deputies noticed there were people inside the bales in “dangerously confined spaces” below a metal framework and layers of hay.

“This method of concealment is not only deceptive but incredibly dangerous to human life,” the sheriff’s office said in a release. “Smugglers continue to use increasingly creative and hazardous techniques to transport individuals across Texas highways.”

The migrants were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for processing. 

In a separate incident, two human smugglers were sentenced May 15 after a series of high-speed chases near the border. 

Twelve migrants were found hidden inside the hay bales.  (Fayette County Sheriff’s Office)

A judge sentenced Juan Miguel Regalado to 66 months in prison, while Samuel Grajeda Jr. was previously sentenced to 30 months. 

Both must also serve three years of supervised release.