Armed Human Smuggler Arrested with 8 Migrants in Pickup near Border in Arizona

Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents interdicted a human smuggling attempt during a traffic stop on Interstate 10 in Arizona.

Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent John R. Modlin tweeted photos from a failed human smuggling attempt. Agents arrested a U.S. citizen driver for allegedly smuggling a group of migrants in a pickup truck.

Last Friday, Casa Grande Station agents assisted @PinalCSO with a stopped vehicle on I-10 near Eloy, AZ.

Agents determined the U.S. citizen driver, in possession of a firearm, was smuggling eight migrants inside his pickup truck. The driver faces criminal charges. pic.twitter.com/h1BGPIUsEv

— John R. Modlin (@USBPChiefTCA) October 14, 2022

The Casa Grande Station agents stopped the driver of the truck on Interstate 10 near Eloy, Arizona on October 7, the chief tweeted this week. During a search of the pickup truck, the agents found a loaded pistol in addition to eight migrants.

Agents placed the driver under arrest for human smuggling charges.

The following day, agents working in the Baboquivari Mountains in southern Arizona responded to a call for help from a migrant woman.

On October 8th, Tucson Sector agents responded to a 911 call in the Baboquivari Mountains. Agents provided first-aid to the injured migrant then carried her for over three hours to an awaiting ambulance. This was one of 42 rescues made by Tucson Sector agents since October 1st. pic.twitter.com/p1ldG7POzF

— John R. Modlin (@USBPChiefTCA) October 14, 2022

The agents located the woman and provided immediate first aid for her injuries. The agents then carried the woman for more than three hours to a roadway where an awaiting ambulance transported her to the hospital.

Chief Modlin reported this is just one of 42 migrant rescues carried out by Tucson Sector agents since the new fiscal year began on October 1.