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A vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol on Thursday after two people attempted to smuggle a man across a U.S. border.
The two people were arrested at the Pine Valley, California interstate border and face federal charges for alien smuggling. Border Patrol also revealed that the two suspects in the vehicle were under the influence while attempting to get the victim across the border.
At approximately 9:15 p.m, a 57-year-old male U.S. citizen arrived at the border with a female passenger in his 1995 Toyota Avalon.
The vehicle was referred for a secondary inspection where the owner of the car gave agents permission to search his vehicle, however; he said that his trunk latch was broken and wouldn’t open.
Photo credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection handout.
After questioning the man, the man admitted that there was a person inside the trunk. Inside the trunk, agents found a 25-year-old Mexican national.
The driver and the passenger were transported to a nearby station for further processing. It was at this time that the couple revealed they were transporting the victim while driving under the influence.
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