YUMA, Ariz. – A convicted human smuggler was at it again Thursday morning, but alert Wellton Border Patrol agents intercepted his attempt and instead of getting paid to sneak migrants into the interior of the country, he was arrested, and his vehicle was seized.
A Wellton Border Patrol agent conducting routine patrol along Highway 95 noticed a suspicious vehicle in the area, which quickly pulled into a business upon seeing the agent. The agent stopped to conduct a consensual encounter with the driver and discovered he was in the act of smuggling three Mexican nationals, a 19 and 21-year-old female and a 19-year-old male. The females were sitting in the front passenger and rear passenger seat, respectively, and the male was hiding in the rear cargo area.
had been concealed inside the trunk of a
smuggling vehicle
Agents arrested the driver, a 61-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from California, for alien smuggling. The three migrants were also arrested for illegally being present in the U.S. The driver and migrants were transported to the Wellton station for processing. Record checks conducted on those involved revealed the driver had an extensive criminal record, which included convicted felonies out of California for arson, grand theft, burglary and for bringing in and harboring aliens, the last of which he is currently on probation for.
The driver will not only face charges for alien smuggling, but also for violating his probation. The Mexican nationals will be processed and subsequently returned to Mexico.