TUCSON, Ariz. – Nogales Station Border Patrol agents working at the Interstate 19 immigration checkpoint Wednesday afternoon discovered a 22-year-old Mexican man being smuggled in the trunk of a Nissan sedan.
The man was discovered after agents obtained permission from the driver, a 19-year-old female U.S. citizen, to look inside the trunk during a secondary inspection.
Agents arrested both individuals. The driver is being charged for alien smuggling while the Mexican national will face charges for immigration violations.
At the time of the arrest, the outdoor temperature was 102 degrees; which possesses a significant danger to anyone locked in the trunk of a car.
Federal law allows agents to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.