YUMA – On Monday morning, Border Patrol agents rescued 16 Mexican nationals in a failed smuggling attempt by a United States citizen near Avenue 9E and the International Border.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a caller contacted the Yuma Border Patrol Station to report that they had seen a group of people, who had illegally entered the U.S., being loaded into a work truck with a camper shell. Agents stopped the vehicle east of Avenue 4E and discovered 16 people locked in the back of the vehicle. The group was unable to freely open the latches to exit the truck.
The driver, a unidentified 57-year-old California man, was arrested for alien smuggling and the 16 Mexican nationals were arrested for immigration violations.