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SENTRI user held in smuggling case

UNION-TRIBUNE
July 20, 2006

SAN YSIDRO – A U.S. citizen cleared for a government fast-pass across the border was arrested Tuesday with an undocumented Mexican teenager in her minivan, authorities said.

The 27-year-old San Ysidro resident was entering the United States in a lane for motorists with a Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection pass.

The driver was registered in the SENTRI program, a U.S. Customs official said.

A Customs and Border Protection officer who was inspecting the woman's van while she waited in line reportedly found a 17-year-old boy under a blanket on the floor behind the front seat.

Officials said the boy had no documents. He was taken into custody as a witness, and the driver was booked into federal jail on suspicion of human smuggling.