TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents at the state Route 86 immigration checkpoint near Sasabe, Arizona, arrested a man for smuggling an illegal alien in his truck’s toolbox Tuesday.
At 2:30 p.m., Tucson Sector agents referred a Chevrolet Silverado to a secondary inspection after a canine alerted to the vehicle. Agents subsequently located a Mexican man trapped inside the truck bed’s metal toolbox. The air temperature was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit at the time.
locked inside of a truck toolbox at
a BP checkpoint
The Mexican national, illegally present in the United States, was examined and cleared by Emergency Medical Services for heat exposure. He was later returned to Mexico under Title 42 authority.
The 36-year-old U.S. citizen driver will be federally charged for human smuggling.
U.S. Border Patrol officials warn that locking people in compartments, such as trunks and trailers, can be deadly. Such smuggling tactics jeopardize migrants’ lives, increasing the dangers of extreme heat and those posed by a vehicle collision.
For more details regarding this media release or to schedule a remote interview via LiveU, please contact the Tucson Sector Border Patrol Public Affairs Office at tca-pao@cbp.dhs.gov or by phone at 520-748-3210.