Skip to main content

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  • Archived Content
    In an effort to keep CBP.gov current, the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated.
  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. Man Found in Trunk of Car at Immigration Checkpoint

Man Found in Trunk of Car at Immigration Checkpoint

Release Date
Tue, 08/29/2017

TUCSON, Ariz. – Sonoita Border Patrol agents working at the immigration checkpoint on State Route 83 discovered a male Mexican national concealed in the trunk of a black 2005 Mercury Montego on Monday afternoon.

Agents located an illegal alien in the trunk of a vehicle stopped at an immigration checkpoint
Agents located an illegal alien in the
trunk of a vehicle stopped at an
immigration checkpoint

The smuggling attempt was foiled when agents referred the driver, a 25-year-old Tucson woman, for a secondary inspection of the vehicle. When agents opened the car’s trunk, they discovered an 18-year-old male Mexican national inside.

The driver was arrested for human smuggling, while the Mexican teen is being processed for immigration violations.

Concealing humans in car trunks is a common tactic used by smugglers, even though their cargo could suffocate, suffer heat stroke or hypothermia, or injury from vehicle collisions.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021