Arizona Border Patrol Agents arrested three United States citizens in separate incidents after they allegedly smuggled illegal immigrants.
Reports revealed that the immigrants were identified as Mexican citizens.
According to the authorities, they also have recovered a loaded firearm, methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector John Modlin broke the news on Saturday, claiming that the “Tucson Station agents responded to Sasabe, AZ, after border camera operators spotted suspected criminal activity.”
Modlin also revealed that “two U.S. citizens were arrested for attempting to smuggle five Mexican citizens. A loaded firearm was seized along with a small amount of meth and fentanyl. #teamwork.”
In a separate report on Saturday, Modlin revealed that another U.S citizen was arrested after fleeing from the Border Patrol station in Sonoita, Arizona.
Border Patrol agents arrest three Americans accused of smuggling Mexicans https://t.co/guiXwULfw5
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 25, 2022
The official claimed that authorities arrested the driver of a car after he attempted to flee the area while he was being referred for a secondary inspection. After fleeing, the driver lost control of the car.
Moreover, four Mexican citizens were also reportedly arrested nearby in the incident.
The three Americans are now facing charges of human smuggling.
Furthermore, the discovery of the drugs while crossing the US-Mexico border came as authorities warned that drug smuggling across the southern border continues to spiral out of control.
On Friday, Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Anne Milgram recently called on Mexico to help the United States stop the illegal trafficking of the drug.
“We know that the vast, vast majority of that is coming from Mexico, and we know that it is being synthesized openly.” Milgram said.
“We lost 107,622 Americans last year. These two cartels are primarily responsible for the fentanyl and the methamphetamine that is flooding into the United States and is killing people.” She explained.
Milgram’s calls for help came out just weeks after the U.S. Customs and Border Protection released its June 2022 Monthly Operational Report.
In the CBP, it was revealed that more than 207,416 encounters were reported in the U.S.-Mexico border for the month of June.
“The men and women of CBP keep our country secure by enforcing our immigration and trade laws at our ports of entry and along our borders,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said.
“While fluctuations are normal from month to month, we saw a 14% decrease in encounters compared to the previous month. We are committed to implementing our strategy of reducing irregular migration, dissuading migrants from undertaking the dangerous journey, and increasing enforcement efforts against human smuggling organizations,” he added.
The CBP also added that authorities have discovered 15,271 unaccompanied children at the border as of June.
“We continue to rescue and provide medical assistance to those in distress. My message to those considering taking this dangerous journey is simple: this is not an easy passage, the human smugglers only care about your money – not your life or the lives of your loved ones, and you will be placed in removal proceedings from the United States if you cross the border without legal authorization and are unable to establish a legal basis to remain.” Magnus said.
