CBP Arrests Suspected Human Smuggler Leading Women And Children From Cuba, Uzbekistan Into US

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said a suspected smuggler was arrested in Arizona on Sunday along with four women and children he was allegedly guiding into the U.S. illegally.

Border Patrol agents using surveillance technology spotted a group of suspected illegal immigrants walking in a remote area near Lukeville at around 5 p.m. Sunday. Agents responded to the scene and arrested all five people.

According to CBP, the group included a 49-year-old woman from Cuba, a 27-year-old woman from Uzbekistan traveling with her two young children, and a 38-year-old man from Mexico suspected of guiding them over the border through the desert on foot.

All five were taken to Ajo Station for processing. The man will face criminal charges for human smuggling and illegal entry into the U.S.

“Smuggling through remote desert areas poses significant danger, particularly for families with children,” said Chief Patrol Agent Sean McGoffin of Tucson Sector. “Our goal is to disrupt human smuggling networks operating along the Southwest border to ensure nobody is victimized by unscrupulous smugglers.”