Teen trucker arrested by border patrol after attempting to smuggle 23 people in semi
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested two underage U.S. citizens and 23 illegal border crossers near Douglas, Arizona, June 8th after a traffic stop led to the discovery of 25 people crammed in the cab of a truck.
Around 10 p.m., Tucson Sector agents conducted an immigration related traffic stop on a semi tractor near mile marker 371 on state Route 80. Upon investigating, they discovered the semi was being driven by an underage U.S. Citizen. Agents also discovered and arrested 22 Mexican nationals and one Guatemalan national in the process, all illegally present in the United States and ranging in age from 16, to 69 who were hiding in the truck.
One Mexican national in the group was processed for a history of extensive immigration violations. The remaining migrants were expelled from the United States via Title 42 authority. The U.S. citizen driver and passenger, both juveniles, were arrested.
Criminal organizations target vulnerable populations, including the youth in border communities, to facilitate human and narcotics smuggling. Tucson Sector Border Patrol fights to combat this dangerous trend through information and education geared towards children and their parents via the T.E.A.M. Kids Program.
