Human smuggling suspects arrested after man found hiding under fuel tank
Two people suspected of human smuggling were arrested at the Highway 86 checkpoint Wednesday afternoon when Border Patrol agents found a man hiding inside an empty modified fuel tank underneath the back seat of an SUV.
According to the Border Patrol release, a 33-year-old man and 24-year-old woman, both U.S. citizens, were traveling with their two children inside a 1999 Toyota 4-Runner when agents assigned to the Indio Station stopped them around 3:30 p.m.
A Border Patrol canine alerted agents to the SUV and they found a 40-year-old Mexican national hidden in the modified fuel tank. They said the man had no means of escape and there was limited airflow.
The two U.S. citizens are being prosecuted for ‘bringing in and harboring certain aliens’, according to agents. Their children were released to the custody of a family member. Their SUV was seized.
The Mexican national is expected to be prosecuted for ‘reentry of removed aliens’, agents said in the release.
El Centro Sector’s Community Awareness Campaign was created to raise public awareness on the indicators of crime and other threats. Agents encourage the public to report suspicious activity to the Border Community Threat Hotline at 1-800-901-2003.
