Border Patrol agents at the Brian A. Terry Station successfully prevented a human smuggling attempt, leading to the arrest of six undocumented migrants, as announced by Chief John R. Modlin on X, previously known as Twitter.
Modlin reported: "1/14: A Brian A. Terry Station agent conducted a vehicle stop in Sierra Vista, AZ. During an immigration inspection, the agent determined a U.S. citizen driver was attempting to smuggle six people who unlawfully entered the U.S. All occupants of the #SUV were arrested. #GreatWork."
A report from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) revealed that agents have encountered 617,865 individuals during this fiscal year, which commenced on Oct. 1, 2023. In addition to these encounters, authorities have seized a total of 3,888 pounds of marijuana, 166 pounds of cocaine, nine pounds of heroin, 1,806 pounds of methamphetamine and 456 pounds of fentanyl.
This incident follows closely behind another involving a Mexican migrant who was sentenced to federal prison for violently assaulting a Border Patrol agent from the Tucson Sector. United States District Judge Scott H. Rash sentenced Adbiel Martinez-Barrera, 21, from Guerrero, Mexico to serve 13 months and one day in prison for the assault and illegal entry into the country on the day of the incident.
According to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office District of Arizona, this assault occurred in May when a Border Patrol agent responded to a call from a camera operator who noticed two illegal aliens in Douglas - one male and one female. The agent discovered them hiding in brushland and while arresting the female subject was attacked by Martinez-Barrera who "mounted the agent from behind causing them both to fall to the ground."
The release further detailed that Martinez-Barrera attempted to suffocate the agent by placing his hand over his mouth and nose. He eventually released the agent and fled the scene but was later apprehended by other agents who arrived to assist. The investigation was conducted by Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Serra M. Tsethlikai, District of Arizona, Tucson, leading the prosecution.
