Police rescue 30 from human smuggling in Houston

Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Police in Texas have rescued 30 people who were being held hostage as part of a smuggling operation in a Houston home, authorities said.

The Houston Police Department said officers forced their way into the Houston home after receiving a report of a man running down the street yelling that he had been kidnapped.

"The male advised that 30 more people were being held hostage in the house," the police department said on Twitter. "Officers found this was a human smuggling operation."

Police Commander Jonathon Halliday told reporters that officers forced their way into the residence and found 29 men and one female being held inside, NBC News reported.

"Most of the people said they were picked up in Brownsville between two days and a week ago," he said.

Police said most of the victims were from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Cuba.

The Department of Homeland Security said it was cooperating with the investigation. The Fort Bend Independent School District Police Department has also opened a nearby school to keep the victims out of the cold.