Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents in coordination with Yuma Air Branch Air and Marine agents arrested a cartel smuggling scout in the Sierra Pinta Mountains.
According to John Mennell with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Yuma Sector Targeting and Intelligence Division has been investigating cartel scouting activities responsible for the movement of illegal aliens though the Wellton Station area of responsibility. Cartel scouts use vantage points to keep track of law enforcement movements. The successful apprehension of the scout will disrupt the cartel’s ability to conduct reconnaissance and monitor the movement of Border Patrol and Air and Marine Operations assets in the area.
During a search of the site, agents discovered food supplies, sustainment equipment and a solar panel indicating an extended scouting mission.
The subject was transported to Wellton Station for processing and record checks and will be referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the State of Arizona for prosecution and for eventual removal proceedings. Yuma Sector intends to pursue sentencing enhancements tied to scouting activities conducted in support of transnational criminal organizations. The subject has two prior expulsions (Title 42).
The Yuma Border Patrol Sector Prosecutions Unit works closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure the maximum application of charges for bringing in and harboring aliens in the United States. The subject is being charged with 8 U.S.C.1325 illegal entry, with potential enhancements for scouting at sentencing.
“The arrest of this dangerous smuggler is a perfect example of a unified border enforcement team working together to achieve a successful law enforcement outcome,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent Dustin Caudle. “These ruthless transnational criminal organizations have no regard for human life, and the dismantling of these cartel networks ensures a secure border that increases the safety of agents and our communities.”
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