Thirty-four illegal immigrants were found in the vehicle, including a pregnant woman and a 6-month-old baby.

Citizen Staff Report

The driver of a dump truck that was stopped last week while carrying 34 illegal immigrants is in custody facing felony smuggling charges, authorities said.
Enrique Perez Terrazas, age and hometown unavailable, was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol agents who searched the truck and found two people in the cab and 32 in the cargo area. The group included a pregnant woman and a 6-month-old baby, according to an agency news release.

The Border Patrol called the situation "atrocious."

"The individuals were already beginning to show the early signs of heat exhaustion," the statement read. "With very little water for everyone to drink, their seriously dangerous conditions were compounded by the extreme heat from the metal sides of the truck and lack of cover."

The truck was spotted on State Route 92, near Coronado National Memorial Road south of Sierra Vista, and was stopped because the driver kept changing directions in a suspicious manner, according to the Border Patrol.

Cocaine, marijuana seized from house

Also last week, agents discovered a stash house stocked with cocaine, marijuana, hashish and stolen weapons.

Border Patrol agents from the Casa Grande station's motorcycle unit found footprints on a known drug smuggling route and tracked them to a house on the Tohono O'odham Nation, according to the agency.

Inside, agents found 565 grams of cocaine, 6.3 pounds of marijuana packaged to sell, 0.04 grams of hashish, $4,019, three handguns and three rifles. Two of the handguns were reported stolen from Phoenix, the Border Patrol said.

Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement responded and seized everything in the house and a 1999 Dodge Durango.

The couple who owned the home were arrested. Their names were not released by the U.S. Attorney's Office yesterday.

Agents find migrants at Tucson motel

In Tucson yesterday, Border Patrol agents responded to a call from Tucson police about illegal immigrants at a Motel 6, said Andrea Zortman, a Tucson sector spokeswoman.

Agents found five people, including two adolescent girls and their father, in a room at the motel, 1222 S. Freeway.

Zortman said the probe is ongoing to determine if a smuggler was among the group.