A Brazilian man was found hiding inside the gas tank of an SUV at the Calexico east port of entry.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested the 40-year-old U.S. citizen and detained the 38-year-old Brazilian man early Tuesday morning at the Calexico, California, East port of entry, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
Officers pulled a 2001 Toyota Sequoia driven by the U.S. citizen over for further examination when it entered the port at 3:15 a.m. CBP used imagining systems and found anomalies in the SUV’s gas tank and under the rear seat.
Customs said the officers searched that area of the SUV and found the Brazilian man hidden inside the “partially modified gas tank.”
The U.S. citizen was taken to Imperial County Jail for federal charges related to the incident, customs said. He is still in jail awaiting arraignment.
Customs said an immigration hold was put on the Brazilian man so he can be taken out of the U.S. after the driver’s legal proceedings conclude.
Agencies/Canadajournal