After identifying and searching a suspicious 2002 Chevrolet van on Interstate 8 early Thursday morning, U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered a man hidden under the floorboards of the van.
The driver, a 21-year-old woman, was traveling west when she was pulled over just before the Pine Valley Border Patrol checkpoint.
Border Patrol Agent Gerardo Gutierrez said many factors are used to decide whether or not a given circumstance is “suspicious.”
Many of those details are “law enforcement sensitive,” Gutierrez said. This means they could potentially compromise a Border Patrol investigation if released.
The 38-year-old Mexican national was found after the driver consented to a more thorough search of the vehicle. A specially trained dog conducted a sniff-search of the vehicle, which led the agents to dismantle the floor of the van.
The man admitted to not having proper documentation. The man and the driver were then taken into custody, and the driver faces charges for smuggling an undocumented person.
The undocumented man will serve as a material witness in the case and will most likely be deported to Mexico, Gutierrez said.
