Migrants Found Locked in Pickup Truck Toolbox near Border in Arizona

Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents arrested an alleged human smuggler after finding three migrants locked inside a pickup-truck toolbox. The agents discovered the migrants trapped in the box following a K-9 inspection.

Agents assigned to the Tucson Sector Three Points Station responded last week to a request for assistance from the Tohono O’odham Police Department, according to a tweet from Chief Patrol Agent John R. Modlin.

U.S. citizen faces criminal charges for a brazen #HumanSmuggling attempt.

A Three Points Station agent assisted Tohono O’odham PD with a vehicle stop west of Sells, AZ, Tuesday. Following a K9Alert, three migrants locked inside a small toolbox were discovered. #GoodWork pic.twitter.com/iz4FOsQz6O

— John R. Modlin (@USBPChiefTCA) March 13, 2023

The agents arrived on the scene and conducted a preliminary search with a K-9 team. The K-9 alerted to the possible presence of drug or human cargo in the truck. A physical inspection of a locked toolbox in the truck’s bed led to the discovery of three migrants. The migrants had no means of escape in the event of a crash or being abandoned by the smuggler.

The man, a U.S. citizen, now faces criminal charges for “a brazen human smuggling attempt,” Modlin stated.

The following day, Douglas Station agents stopped a pickup truck with fake license plates, Modlin tweeted. The agents observed a group of suspected migrants entering the truck near Douglas, Arizona.

After stopping the driver, the agents found 13 migrants — including two small children — packed dangerously in the cab and bed of the truck.

Modlin said the human smuggler showed no regard for the safety of the camouflage-wearing migrants packed in the truck.