A U.S. citizen out a group of illegal aliens at risk on Friday when he tried to smuggle them into the country in a boat he was towing.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol agents working the Highway 78 immigration checkpoint apprehended encountered the human smuggler after they found 8 illegal aliens in the boat.
Border Patrol Agents working the checkpoint near Palo Verde, California, encountered a 1999 Ford Expedition towing a fishing boat. A Border Patrol canine alerted to the vehicle and agents referred the vehicle to the secondary inspection area. During their investigation, agents discovered eight illegal aliens hiding under the boat’s cover.
The aliens, whose ages ranged from 18 to 40, were all nationals of Mexico, one of which had been previously removed four times.
The 33-year-old human smuggler was booked on smuggling charges.