A Glendale man, Saif Ali Al Najafi, is facing up to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine after being charged with Transporting Illegal Aliens while Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Another.
According to the Department of Justice complaint, on July 8, 2022, Border Patrol Agents stopped a U-Haul box truck that Al Najafi, age 25, was driving near Naco, Arizona. An undocumented non-citizen sat in the front passenger seat. Inside the box of the U-Haul truck, agents discovered 13 more undocumented non-citizens, including two minor children.
One witness inside the U-Haul stated the driver opened the cargo door for the group to enter and closed it behind them. The witness said he could hear the driver place a lock on the door, at which point the witness became frightened.