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    In an effort to keep CBP.gov current, the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated.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. Alien Smuggling Stopped at Border Patrol Checkpoints

Alien Smuggling Stopped at Border Patrol Checkpoints

Release Date
Tue, 03/03/2015

TUCSON, Ariz. – Agents working at Tucson Sector Border Patrol checkpoints thwarted two recent attempts to smuggle illegal immigrants in vehicle trunks. 

Sunday evening, a canine at the SR-80 checkpoint alerted to a Chrysler 300 during an immigration inspection. Agents then discovered an undocumented Mexican national in the vehicle’s trunk who stated he did not know how to open the trunk in case of an emergency.

In another incident Feb. 27, Nogales Station agents working at the I-19 checkpoint found two Mexican immigrants in the trunk of a white Nissan sedan following a canine alert. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Interstate 19 traffic checkpoint located a pair of illegal aliens within the trunk of a smuggling vehicle

Agents seized both vehicles and charged the drivers, both U.S. citizens, with alien smuggling. All undocumented subjects will be processed according to Tucson Sector Guidelines.

Checkpoints effectively restrict major routes of egress from the border, hindering smugglers’ ability to move people, drugs and other contraband further into the United States.  Canine teams maximize checkpoint efficiency by detecting illegal immigrants traveling in dangerous situations.

 

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