Busted

25 Mexican Nationals caught during smuggling attempt

Border Patrol agents intercepted a cargo trailer carrying 25 Mexican nationals near the border.

It happened in Tecate on Monday morning.

Before the agents uncovered the smuggling attempt, they said they saw a group of suspected illegal immigrants board a utility van along state Route 188.  Agents followed the van to a parking lot, where a semi-truck was parked.  Agents then watched as people exited the van and boarded the semi-truck's cargo trailer through a trap door in the trailer floor.

As the agents approached the two vehicles, the driver of the first van fled the scene. The agents arrested the driver of the semi, a 49-year-old man, after discovering 23 men and two women inside the trailer.

The driver is facing smuggling charges and is currently in federal custody.

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