EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – A federal grand jury has leveled conspiracy charges against two men allegedly caught tracking the movements of U.S. Border Patrol agents from atop a mountain in Arizona for the purpose of smuggling migrants.
Tuesday’s indictment in U.S. District Court in Phoenix stems from a Feb. 25 incident in the West Silver Bell Mountains south of Eloy.
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Border Patrol agents on duty just north of the Tohono O’Odham Nation reservation at approximately 9 a.m. spotted two individuals dressed in camouflage utilizing binoculars on Solo Peak. The mountain is known for being used by smuggling organization “spotters” to monitor law enforcement and direct migrant traffic to pick up areas, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
The agents called for backup and started climbing the peak. The crew of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (AMO) helicopter helped them locate the suspects, who ran into hiding.
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The agents surrounded Geovani Alexis Teran Olguin, a citizen of Mexico, and Juan Marroquin Jaime, a Guatemalan. They apprehended them for being in the U.S. illegally. They also seized two sets of high-power binoculars, six silver solar panels, a two-way radio and a charger, court records show…