Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California have filed 83 border-related cases this week, including the case of a U.S. citizen accused of attempting to smuggle two undocumented Guatemalan migrants through the San Ysidro port of entry.
In addition to human smuggling, the 83 cases include charges such as importing controlled substances and illegal re-entry after deportation.
The Southern District of California also handles prosecutions involving terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking, white-collar fraud, violent crimes, cybercrime, human trafficking, and national security.
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The defendant, identified as Alexis Ríos, was arrested on May 1 after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered two Guatemalan nationals hidden in a compartment beneath the spare tire well of his vehicle. Ríos allegedly attempted to bring the foreign nationals into the United States for profit.
In a separate case filed on May 4, Mexican citizen Juan Manuel Quintana Amador was arrested at the San Ysidro port of entry after attempting to smuggle more than 11 kilograms of cocaine. CBP officers found the drugs hidden inside the bathroom wall of a commercial bus seeking entry into the United States.
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On May 5, José Miguel Cárcamo Maradiaga, a Honduran national, was arrested approximately one mile north of the border and six miles west of the Tecate port of entry. Officers found him hiding in brush.
According to prosecutors, Maradiaga had been deported to Honduras in August 2024 through Alexandria, Louisiana.
Meanwhile, CBP reported that on April 29, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen was detained at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry while trying to smuggle an undocumented woman across the border.
The man was driving a Toyota Camry when he was referred for a secondary inspection. Using an imaging system, officers detected anomalies in the dashboard. A physical inspection revealed a 31-year-old Chinese woman hidden inside an improvised compartment in the dashboard.
