JUNE 24, 2015
Weekly Arizona Border Report
Five illegals trapped in trunks rescued
Last Wednesday, when temperatures topped 100 degrees across southern Arizona, Border Patrol agents rescued five migrants from the trunks of vehicles during three risky smuggling attempts at immigration checkpoints.
The first of three events occurred at 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon at the immigration checkpoint on I-19, north of Tubac, Arizona. After a Border Patrol canine alerted to a brown Cadillac during inspection, agents searched the car and found two Mexican nationals trapped in the trunk. The driver and the passenger were placed under arrest. Prior to being placed in the trunk, one of the young illegal immigrants had been injured when she illegally crossed the border near Nogales, Arizona. Agents helped her from the vehicle and she was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.
A few hours later at approximately 5:00 p.m., agents at the SR 85 immigration checkpoint near Ajo, Arizona reported that a vehicle fled from the checkpoint during an immigration inspection. Agents located the vehicle after a brief search, which had lost a tire while fleeing. The driver had abandoned the vehicle with two Mexican nationals locked in the trunk. Agents quickly rescued the two men and attempted to locate the driver. The search for the driver is ongoing.
Just after 70 p.m. at the SR 80 immigration checkpoint north of Tombstone, Arizona, agents discovered a Mexican national locked in the trunk of a car after a Border Patrol canine alerted to the vehicle. The driver and the passenger were placed under arrest for alien smuggling.
All three incidents occurred on a day with near record high temperatures and all smuggling victims had no means to escape. Smuggling a person inside the trunk of a car is extremely dangerous, a risk amplified during summertime conditions. Smuggling attempts like these highlight the cruel and unfortunate treatment of people in the hands of criminal organizations. Human life is valuable, and Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents are working diligently to counteract this criminal threat and create a safer border environment.
CBP welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol by calling 1-877-872-7435 toll free. All calls will be answered and remain anonymous.
Agents arrest uncooperative motorist in smuggling attempt
Tucson Sector Border Patrol arrested a motorist and her passenger suspected of alien smuggling at the Interstate 19 immigration checkpoint near Amado last Thursday.
At around noon, Nogales Station agents operating the Interstate 19 immigration checkpoint encountered the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado and her passengers. Agents conducted an immigration inspection on one of the passengers, a resident alien, when the driver quickly became uncooperative. Border Patrol agents directed the driver to a secondary area for further inspection but she refused to move.
Officers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety were called and arrived on scene to assist agents. Agents soon discovered an adult Mexican national hiding inside the cab of the truck, laying on the floor behind the seat.
The driver and one of the passengers were arrested and face smuggling charges. The illegal immigrant and vehicle were processed in accordance with Tucson Sector guidelines.
Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents have discovered 14 individuals from the cab or trunks of vehicles within the past two weeks as temperatures across Arizona continue to rise.
As CBP security efforts improve along the border, criminal organizations attempt to smuggle migrants using alternative methods, including uncooperative or dangerous tactics. CBP continues to be vigilant in stopping these attempts. Immigration checkpoint operations play a vital role in preventing criminals from transporting contraband into the United States by restricting routes of egress from the border region and ultimately creating a safer border environment.
CBP welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol by calling 1-877-872-7435 toll free. All calls will be answered and remain anonymous.
Nogales CBP Officers seize $53K in meth
Customs and Border Protection officers at the Mariposa crossing arrested Jose Armando Cruz-Araiza, 26, of Caborca, Sonora, Mexico, after finding packages of methamphetamine in his Chevrolet truck on May 17.
A narcotics-detection canine alerted officers to nearly 18 pounds of meth, valued at more than $53,000, concealed in the vehicle’s dashboard area.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicle, and referred Cruz to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Federal law allows officers to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Douglas CBP Officers seize $79K in marijuana
Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Douglas resident during a failed smuggling incident June 16 at the Port of Douglas.
Officers arrested Manuel Angel Carbajal-Perez, 21, after an inspection of his Chevrolet sedan led to the discovery of marijuana packages weighing more than 150 pounds and worth more than $79,000 throughout the vehicle.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicle, and referred Carbajal to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Nogales CBP Officers seize $443K in cocaine
Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Mexican national man and a Tucson woman connected to separate smuggling attempts on Monday at the Port of Nogales, resulting in the seizure of more than 42 pounds of cocaine.
Officers at the Mariposa crossing referred Cesar Gastelum-Pompa, 51, a Permanent Resident Alien presently living in Nogales, Arizona for a secondary vehicle inspection of his Chevrolet SUV. A CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs between the floor and gas tank, leading to the discovery of nearly 24 pounds of cocaine worth more than $250,000.
Later, officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred a Shayna Rosalind Gualtieri, 28, of Tucson for an inspection of her Nissan sedan. A CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to the rear bumper where officers found seven packages of cocaine weighing more than 18 pounds and worth nearly $193,000.
Officers processed all drugs and vehicles involved, and referred both subjects to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Naco CBP Officers seize $70K in marijuana
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a 34-year-old Mexican national man yesterday for attempting to smuggle 139 pounds of marijuana through the Port of Naco.
Officers selected Samuel Sierras-Soto, of Cananea, Sonora, Mexico, for further inspection of the Nissan van he was driving and found nine packages of marijuana, valued at nearly $70,000 throughout the vehicle.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicle, and referred Sierras to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Nogales CBP Officers seize $847K in marijuana hidden in roof of produce load
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Mariposa Commercial Facility seized $847,000 in marijuana – nearly 1,700 pounds – from a Mexican national Monday when he attempted to enter the United States through the Port of Nogales.
Officers discovered more than 274 packages of marijuana within the roof of a tractor-trailer driven by Ramon Emilio Felix-Lopez, 57, from Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, following an alert by a CBP narcotics-detection canine.
Officers seized the drugs, tractor-trailer and produce shipment of mangoes, and referred the driver to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Last Tuesday’s seizure represents the fourth such find in just over the past month. In each of the previous shipments, the drugs were either co-mingled within melons or hidden within the roofs of the trailers.
