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    In an effort to keep CBP.gov current, the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated.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. El Centro Sector Border Patrol Agents Thwart Human Smuggling Attempt

El Centro Sector Border Patrol Agents Thwart Human Smuggling Attempt

Release Date
Thu, 03/12/2015

SALTON CITY, Calif. – Wednesday, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Indio Station arrested a 37-year-old man at the Highway 86 checkpoint suspected of smuggling three undocumented aliens.

At approximately 1 p.m., the man and three male passengers approached the checkpoint in a 2005 Dodge Caravan. Agents referred the driver to a secondary inspection area for a more thorough examination. 

Border Patrol agents determined that the driver, Fermin Ruelas, a United States citizen, is a member of the “White Fence” criminal gang out of Los Angeles with an extensive criminal record. Agents discovered that the three passengers were citizens of Mexico illegally present in the United States.

Ruelas was arrested and sent to the Imperial County Jail.

The undocumented aliens were sent to a Border Patrol station for processing.

The El Centro Sector’s Community Awareness Campaign is a simple and effective program to raise public awareness on the indicators of crime and other threats.  We encourage public and private sector employees to remain vigilant and play a key role in keeping our country safe.  Please report any suspicious activity to the Border Community Threat Hotline at 1-800-901-2003.

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