Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents discovered a human stash house on Friday. The raid followed a traffic stop by Nogales, Arizona, police officers which identified two Mexican illegal immigrants in a vehicle.
Nogales Station Border Patrol agents responded on Friday to a request for assistance from the city’s police department after an officer stopped a vehicle believed to be carrying migrants from Mexico, according to information obtained from Tucson Sector Border Patrol officials. Agents responded and identified the two passengers of a Honda sedan as Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States. The agents arrested the driver and the two smuggled aliens and transported them to the station for processing and investigation.
Border Patrol agents contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations special agents questioned the two aliens and leaned about a nearby human smuggling stash house, officials stated. The Border Patrol and HSI agents went to the residence and found 21 Mexican nationals inside the home. Officials stated all 21 were illegally present in the United States.
During a search of the property, the agents also found two pounds of fentanyl.
Agents transported the 21 Mexican nationals to the Nogales Station where they undergo a medical screening and criminal background investigation. During the criminal background records check, the agents identified one of the Mexican men as a previously deported member of the Surenos street gang.
The gang member now faces federal felony charges for illegal re-entry after removal as a member of a dangerous gang. If convicted he could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
The agents arrested the driver of the Honda sedan carrying the first two migrants. He faces federal felony charges relating to human smuggling.
Officials did not disclose if they found a manager of the stash house or if anyone is being charged in connection to the fentanyl discovered in the stash house.
The remaining illegal immigrants will be processed for removal under Title 42 Coronavirus protection protocols put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly all migrants apprehended by Border Patrol agents are currently being removed under those protocol upon completion of a medical screening and biometric background investigation.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.