2 US citizens arrested for smuggling horse trailer full of migrants into Arizona

PHOENIX — Two U.S. citizens were arrested in southern Arizona last week after more than 33 migrants were found inside of a horse trailer, authorities said.

The suspect drivers face charges of human smuggling and possession of firearms, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a press release.

The incident happened in Nogales on Sept. 29, when Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Tucson Sector agents conducted a traffic stop on a Ford pickup truck pulling the trailer around 2 a.m.

Agents discovered the migrants shoulder-to-shoulder inside the trailer, $16,000 in cash and loaded firearms inside two vehicles involved in the traffic stop, the release said.

The driver of the Ford, and a driver of a Dodge pickup truck that was encountered at the scene, were believed to be driving in tandem.

The migrants were arrested and are being processed for immigration violations.

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