Border Patrol finds 7 people in tractor-trailer with watermelons
Border Patrol finds 7 people in tractor-trailer with watermelons
By Tony Perry
March 28, 2013, 7:01 p.m.
SAN DIEGO -- Seven people suspected of being illegal immigrants from Mexico were discovered in the Imperial Valley inside a chilled tractor-trailer that was carrying watermelons, the U.S. Border Patrol said.
The vehicle was stopped for inspection at 4 a.m. Thursday at the checkpoint on Highway 86 between Salton City and Westmorland, on the edge of the Salton Sea. A Border Patrol dog alerted agents to possible illegal immigrants, the Border Patrol said.
A woman and six men, ages 20 to 52, were found in the trailer, which was refrigerated to 48 degrees. The 50-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of smuggling, and the seven were taken into custody for deportation.
tony.perry@latimes.com
Border Patrol finds 7 people in tractor-trailer with watermelons - latimes.com
Border Patrol Halts Extremely Dangerous Human Smuggling Attempt
Created on Friday, 29 March 2013 19:55
Written by IVN
Salton City, California - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Indio Station apprehended seven Mexican Nationals in a chilling attempt to pass through the Highway 86 checkpoint undetected in the confines of an almost freezing semi-tractor trailer.
The incident occurred on March 28, at approximately 4 a.m., when a 50-year-old male driver approached the Border Patrol checkpoint located between Westmorland and Salton City. A Border Patrol Canine Detection Team alerted to the vehicle, a white semi-tractor trailer. Agents referred the vehicle to secondary inspection. Upon further investigation, agents discovered seven illegal aliens, one 35-year-old female, and six males, ranging in ages from 20 to 52-years-old hidden in the trailer within a load of watermelons. The trailer’s temperature was at 48 F.
The driver, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the U.S, was arrested on suspicion of alien smuggling. The suspect, the vehicle, and seven Mexican Nationals are in Border Patrol custody.
Border Patrol Halts Extremely Dangerous Human Smuggling Attempt
