Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents stopped two human smuggling attempts Tuesday; one at the immigration checkpoint near Amado and the other during a vehicle stop near the village of Topawa.
The first incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. when a male U.S. citizen driving a Honda sedan was referred for a secondary inspection subsequent to a canine alert. During the inspection, agents opened the vehicle’s trunk and found a 27-year-old Mexican man illegally present in the United States.
The second incident, occurred at approximately 7 p.m., when agents stopped a Ford sedan near the village of Topawa on the Tohono O’odham Nation and identified two of the vehicle’s five occupants as Mexican nationals who had crossed the border illegally.
The drivers in both incidents, identified as U.S. citizens, were arrested for human smuggling. All of the Mexican nationals are in custody pending removal proceedings in accordance with Tucson Sector guidelines.
Federal law allows agents to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.