Three Points, Arizona - Tucson Station Border Patrol agents arrested a 19-year-old U.S. citizen and three Honduran nationals after uncovering a human smuggling attempt Friday evening at the State Route 86 Immigration Checkpoint near Three Points.
Agents working the primary inspection lane referred the driver of a Chevy Cobalt for secondary inspection. When agents opened the vehicle’s trunk, they found three male Guatemalan nationals who had entered the country illegally.
The driver, a Tucson man, was arrested and charged with human smuggling. He will remain in custody pending a court disposition on the case. The three Guatemalan nationals, ages 18, 20 and 28, will be processed for immigration violations.
Agents also seized the vehicle due to its use as a conveyance in the commission of a crime.
Concealing humans in vehicle trunks is a dangerous practice used by unscrupulous human smugglers and places unsuspecting persons in life threatening situations. Summer temperatures can raise temperatures inside a vehicle’s trunk to 125 degrees; potentially causing heat stroke or death to anyone inside.