Six horses were seized in West Texas after a traffic stop in Presidio County raised concerns about suspected livestock smuggling and possible animal health risks.

Deputies stopped a vehicle on FM 170 to verify required Coggins test documentation for the horses, according to the supplied report. The date of the traffic stop was not provided in the source material.

USDA Quarantine Ordered After West Texas Horse Seizure

During the stop, the driver reportedly said the horses had been picked up in the Redford, Texas area, which the report described as a known corridor for unauthorized livestock crossings along the U.S.–Mexico border.

The horses were later transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for quarantine and laboratory testing. Officials are reviewing whether the animals may have been illegally imported and whether they could have been exposed to disease or parasites.

A Coggins test is used to screen horses for equine infectious anemia and is required for legal equine transport in many circumstances. The testing and quarantine process is intended to reduce the risk of spreading animal diseases through livestock movement.

Screwworm Concern Adds Biosecurity Risk

The case has also raised concern over the New World screwworm, a parasitic insect that feeds on living tissue and can cause serious harm to livestock. Although the pest was previously eradicated from the United States through long-term agricultural control efforts, border regions remain sensitive to possible reintroduction risks.

Quarantine protocols generally involve isolating animals while officials monitor them and conduct diagnostic testing before deciding whether they can be cleared for movement or release.

The investigation remains ongoing as officials examine possible links to broader livestock smuggling activity in the region. The case highlights how illegal animal movement can create both law enforcement and agricultural biosecurity concerns along the U.S.–Mexico border.