Pinal, Arizona — Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Three vehicles carrying dozens of people are investigating a human smuggling case after they pulled up on U.S. Highway 60 early Wednesday morning.
Around 7 a.m., they spotted the vehicles moving together along the highway, according to the PCSO. When deputies tried to stop the vehicle, they slowed down.
When deputies caught up with the car and stopped it, 30 to 40 people got out and fled into the desert.
Agents found the three fugitives and they were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Officials said the two men did not have identification but said they were from Guatemala.
The rest fled into the desert and are currently missing, according to Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lauren Rymer.
Reiner said agents found a number of items in the vehicle commonly associated with human smuggling cases.
Credit: Pinal County Sheriff’s Office
“While cleaning up the suspect vehicle, our agents found numerous camouflage backpacks, camouflage clothing and carpet shoes commonly found in human smuggling vehicles.
These items are used by immigrants in transiting the desert after illegally crossing the border into the United States.
According to Reimer, the incident followed a similar situation just a day earlier.
“MPs stopped another vehicle in the same area that was trafficking nine people,” Reimer said.
Those people were handed over to the Border Patrol.
Reimer said more smugglers are using Route 60 to avoid Interstate 10, which is heavily patrolled by legislators.
She said the sheriff’s office is “fully aware of this change and also has an anti-smuggling unit patrolling U.S. 60.”
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