The Ohio County Sheriff's Department picked up 15 people in an 11 passenger van. Police say 14 of them are illegal immigrants from three other countries. The 12 men and 2 women coming from as far as Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador.

The federal government is involved in the case and will decide who could be detained and what charges will be filed. A sheriff's deputy noticed a faulty license plate and pulled the van over on Interstate 70 near the Pennsylvania boarder. The 2000 Chevy van actually had no state license plate.

The Ohio County Sheriff says the group was coming from New York and making a cross country trip to California. Now police say the California man helping the illegal immigrants may be part of a bigger organization. Ohio County Sheriff Tom Burgoyne says the 14 illegal immigrants paid the driver to help find work.

After questioning the illegal immigrants, the sheriff's department says some of the illegal immigrants already worked in New York but were headed west to get closer to the Mexican border. The sheriff says they are not certain where they would work once in Los Angeles but he says they where going to work in the fields.

"It is my understanding that these individuals were paid by them or members of their families $300 each to be transported from New York to Las Angeles for the privilege of working in this country, said Sheriff Burgoyne.

The immigration and naturalization services out of Pittsburgh will decide if anyone is detained and if any charges will be filed against the driver. The driver of the van is identified as 52 year old Gabriel Ponce. Police say he has a valid California drivers license. The sheriff's department is holding everyone for the night at the West Virginia Northern Regional Jail. One illegal immigrant is underage; he will stay at the juvenile detention center.