U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents in Tucson, Arizona arrested and charged filed human smuggling charges against two U.S. citizens.
On Monday night, CBP agents assigned at the Interstate 19 Immigration Checkpoint found 33 Mexican and Ecuadorian nationals hidden inside a semi-tractor-trailer.
Agents discovered the immigrants after a Border Patrol canine alerted them to the semi-tractor-trailer, which underwent a secondary inspection. They x-rayed the vehicle and images showed dozen of people inside.
According to the agency, the U.S. citizens, a driver and his passenger, locked the immigrants in the semitrailer’s produce cargo, which had temperature of 47 degrees Fahrenheit. They endangered the lives of the immigrants, who were only wearing short-sleeved T-shirts and long pants.
The agents arrested and processed the immigrants for violating U.S immigration laws. They did not release the names of the U.S. citizens charged with human smuggling violations.
