EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — A pair of drug-trafficking brothers were among a group of migrants recently found hiding in a drainage system near the California-Mexico border.
According to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release, U.S. Border Patrol agents from the San Diego Sector’s Chula Vista Station detected suspicious activity near the border using a Remote Video Surveillance System just before 11 p.m. on May 4. Agents responded and discovered 19 people, including 16 adults and three unaccompanied migrant children, attempting to enter the U.S. illegally through the tunnels.
CBP said among those migrants were two Mexican brothers who’d been previously deported for trafficking meth. CBP identified the brothers as 35-year-old Raudel Carrillo-Padilla and 31-year-old Ivan Carrillo-Padilla, who were convicted in 2017 for possession, transport, and intent to sell methamphetamine out of Yreka, California. The younger brother had an additional deportation for a 2019 drug bust in Eugene, Oregon, CBP said.
Man sentenced for cross-border tunnel smuggling
CPB said all 19 migrants were from Mexico. They were taken to the Chula Vista Station and processed for removal or federal prosecution.
The San Diego Sector Tunnel Team was also called to clear the drainage system and ensure that no additional individuals were hiding inside.
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“These smuggling attempts are not only dangerous, but they also frequently involve individuals who pose a threat to public safety,” San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre said in a statement. “Thanks to the vigilance of our agents and the effective use of surveillance technology, this group–which included convicted drug traffickers–was apprehended before they could move further into our communities. If you try to illegally cross our border, we will catch you and arrest you.”…