Agents arrest man accused of smuggling 42 people over El Centro border
PHOTO: U.S. Customs & Border Protection
El Centro Border Patrol agents have arrested a Mexican national on suspicion of trying to illegally transport over 40 people into the United States.
Around 8 AM on March 18, agents spotted a Ford F150 pick-up truck towing an enclosed utility trailer driving away from a location specifically known for human and drug smuggling.
Officials say that when agents contacted the driver, he admitted he was a Mexican citizen and was transporting people across the border.
Agents found 38 of the 42 people inside the 12′ x 6′ trailer with no food, water, ventilation, or safety restraints. It was also locked from the outside, meaning no way out of the trailer in case of an emergency.
The driver, a 31-year-old Mexican national whose name has not been released, was determined to also be in the country illegally.
He and all 42 illegal immigrants, three of which were juveniles, were arrested and transported to the Calexico station pending further investigation.
