Border Patrol agents in Arizona arrest sex offender among group smuggling 3 women

PHOENIX — A registered sex offender was one of three American citizens recently arrested for attempted human smuggling, authorities said.

Tohono O’odham Police Department arrested the three suspects after initiating a traffic stop on a GMC Yukon on Sunday, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

During the stop, police noticed the three citizens were trying to smuggle three women, CBP said.

Smugglers are not your friend! 3/19: Tohono O’odham Police and Border Patrol break up a human smuggling incident on SR86, involving a convicted sex offender. Two local women, and one man who was convicted of sexual offenses against a child in 2023, were arrested as they smuggled… pic.twitter.com/Q6gfgqsvL9

— Chief Patrol Agent – Tucson Sector (@USBPChiefTCA) March 25, 2025

The traffic stop took place near Sells, an unincorporated area in Pima County around 56 miles southwest of Tucson.

Police say registered sex offender tried to smuggle three women

The officers then reached out to CBP for assistance. The responding agents found that the three women were in the U.S. illegally. They were from Uzbekistan, Guatemala, and Mexico.

CBP agents then seized the SUV and arrested the three noncitizens as well as the three smugglers: two women and a man who was convicted of sexually offenses against a minor in 2023, CBP said.

One of the two woman suspected of smuggling the three noncitizens had various criminal convictions, including a federal charge of human smuggling in 2023 and conspiracy to commit monetary instruments laundering in 2022, BCP said.

The three alleged smugglers are facing prosecution in federal court and are in custody until a determination in their criminal case. The three noncitizens will be used as witnesses in the case. After helping the court, they will be removed from the U.S., CBP said.

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