BP find 33 locked inside tractor trailer near Nogales

Border Patrol agents arrested a truck driver suspected of human smuggling after authorities found 33 undocumented immigrants hidden inside his trailer near Nogales Tuesday night.

According to Customs and Border Protection ( CBP ), agents at the Interstate 19 immigration checkpoint near Nogales referred the driver of a 2002 Freightliner tractor and refrigerated trailer to the secondary inspection area. Inside the trailer, agents discovered 33 undocumented immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador. The group hidden inside the trailer consisted of 12 juveniles in age from three to 17, a pregnant woman, and a convicted felon.

CBP added the trailer’s interior was nearly 100 degrees, as the driver did not have the refrigeration unit turned on.

The driver, a 37-year-old Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with federal felony human smuggling violations. The 33 people were taken into custody and will be processed for immigration violations.