Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents recently removed nine individuals locked in a rental truck.
Early Thursday, Nogales agents at the I-19 checkpoint encountered a rental truck towing a Toyota pickup truck. After the driver consented to a search of the rental truck, agents opened the latched cargo door and discovered nine illegal immigrants – eight from Mexico and one from Guatemala. There was no means of escape available to immigrants locked inside.
All individuals were taken into custody and processed in accordance with Tucson Sector guidelines.
The driver, a United States citizen, will be prosecuted for alien smuggling.
Unscrupulous smugglers have no regard for human life and often place illegal immigrants in precarious situations, according to the Border Patrol.