EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Two California residents are facing felony smuggling charges for allegedly trying to bring a Mexican national into the U.S. in the hidden compartment of a vehicle.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in California foiled the alleged smuggling attempt during a random check of vehicles on July 30.
Court records show a canine officer alerted his handler to suspicious cargo on a Volkswagen Tiguan at one of the port’s inspection lanes. The SUV was sent to a secondary inspection area where officers entered the vehicle and heard a male requesting assistance to get out from a hidden compartment under the third-row seat.
The man, later identified as Ricardo Tafoya Palomino, yelled that he was cramping up due to being tightly positioned in a small space. Records show CBP officers had to use a pry bar to open the compartment and get him out.
Tafoya allegedly told CBP he paid a smuggler in Mexico $5,000 to get him into the U.S. He agreed to travel in the hidden compartment of the SUV, but his body temperature started to rise, and he was gasping for air. Records show the driver opened the hidden compartment’s door for 20 minutes but closed it again as the Tiguan approached the inspection booth.
Driver Rigoberto Barrios allegedly admitted he was transporting an undocumented individual through a port of entry and that he was to receive money for dropping him off on the U.S. side of the border. He said he was born in the U.S. and presented a California driver’s license.
Officers interviewed the passenger, Jacqueline Caraza, who also produced a California driver’s license. She said a friend introduced her to Barrios and that he gave her ride to Tijuana, Mexico, to see her uncle. Caraza said she did not know about the hidden migrant nor did she agree to smuggle anyone into the U.S.
The driver and passenger were arrested on charges of transporting illegal aliens for financial gain and aiding and abetting the commission of a crime. They face a preliminary hearing on Aug. 13 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Valerie E. Torres in San Diego. Arraignment is set for Aug. 27.
