Lewiston, N.Y. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Field Operations apprehended three Chinese nationals as they attempted to enter the United States illegally as stowaways aboard an inbound commercial truck.
On Feb. 14, CBP officers encountered Mariyan Lambert, a 54-year-old Canadian citizen and resident of Scarborough, Ontario, as he applied for admission into the United States at the Lewiston Bridge border crossing in Lewiston, N.Y. Lambert was the operator of a commercial truck and presented documentation for a shipment of automotive parts destined to Charlotte, N.C. CBP officers selected the shipment for a secondary enforcement exam.
During the course of the inspection, CBP officers employed gamma-ray technology to generate a high-resolution image of the conveyance's contents. The scan produced anomalies consistent with that of stowaways in the sleeper cab of the truck. A physical inspection of the area in question resulted in the discovery of three Chinese nationals concealed in the sleeper area of the truck's cab. The subjects were taken into custody without incident.During the course of the inspection, CBP officers employed gamma-ray technology to generate a high-resolution image of the conveyance's contents. The scan produced anomalies consistent with that of stowaways in the sleeper cab of the truck. A physical inspection of the area in question resulted in the discovery of three Chinese nationals concealed in the sleeper area of the truck's cab. The subjects were taken into custody without incident.
The three individuals were identified as 20-year-old Meng Zhang, 25-year-old Jing Jing Li and 20-year-old Chen Xia Zhang, all Chinese nationals without proper documentation to enter or remain in the United States. The subjects were arrested on federal charges of attempted illegal entry into the United States. Mr. Lambert was arrested on federal charges of alien smuggling and false statement. All four individuals were turned over to agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation and prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York.
On Feb. 16, the three Chinese nationals were convicted of illegal entry into the United States and are being detained pending a deportation hearing before an immigration judge. Mr. Lambert remains in custody pending prosecution on the federal charges.