Tucson Standard

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents from the Brian A. Terry Station announced the arrest of 15 individuals, including four U.S. citizens and 11 Mexican nationals, in a coordinated smuggling attempt involving multiple vehicles near Sierra Vista on April 4. This information was shared in a news release on April 9.

According to the release, the incident began around 12:30 p.m. when CBP agents patrolling near Montezuma Pass observed a blue Honda Accord entering a parking lot. The driver, identified as a suspected smuggling coordinator, exited the vehicle and sat on a bench in a nearby picnic area. Several hours later, a Chevrolet Avalanche, Nissan Sentra, and Nissan Frontier arrived at the parking lot. At that point, multiple individuals, suspected to be illegal aliens, emerged from the hiking trails and wilderness to board the vehicles, which then departed after the passengers were inside.

Other agents conducted immigration inspections on the vehicles, resulting in the arrest of 10 Mexican nationals who had entered the country illegally, as well as four U.S. citizens acting as smugglers. The driver of the Honda Accord, a Mexican national illegally in the U.S., was also arrested. In addition, agents seized two firearms and narcotics intended for personal use. The suspected smuggling coordinator faces charges of conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens and alien inadmissibility. Ten of the illegal aliens face charges of alien inadmissibility and/or re-entry violations. The four U.S. citizens have been charged with alien smuggling and conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens, with one also facing a charge of felon in possession of a firearm.

The Tucson Sector spans approximately 262 miles from the New Mexico border to Yuma County’s border and covers much of Arizona. It employs around 3,700 agents across nine stations located in Why, Casa Grande, Douglas, Bisbee, Nogales, Sonoita, Tucson, Three Points, and Wilcox.

The U.S. Border Patrol is responsible for protecting the nation's borders from illegal entry of people and contraband under the Department of Homeland Security's jurisdiction. Since its establishment in 1924 as part of federal law enforcement efforts across 328 ports of entry nationwide, it has safeguarded approximately 7,000 miles of land borders along with an extensive 95,000 miles of maritime borders.