YUMA – On Thursday morning, U.S. Border Patrol agents foiled a migrant smuggling attempt after conducting a traffic stop.
Yuma Sector agents working highway operations east of Wellton conducted a vehicle stop on a Ford Edge on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 8 at mile marker 80 at approximately 7:30 a.m. Agents discovered five migrants in the vehicle, three of which were previously removed from the United States and could face re-entry charges.
The two suspected smugglers, a 36-year-old male driver and a 19-year-old male passenger, are both U.S. citizens out of Palmdale, California.
The migrants, four males and one female, were also arrested. All subjects were transported to the USBP Wellton station for further processing.