GABRIELA RICO

A Mexican man driving a fake Federal Express van stocked with food and water was arrested by a Border Patrol agent who noticed the vehicle lacked a commercial license plate.
The white Ford van, traveling east on Ruby Road near Nogales, passed the agent, who became suspicious about the license plate and the amateur-looking lettering, said Andy Adame, Border Patrol spokesman.

The agent pulled the driver over, found he was in the country illegally and arrested him on suspicion of entering without inspection, Adame said. He would not release the man's name.

A search turned up bags of food and bottles of water, indicating the van was likely on its way to pick up illegal immigrants and/or drugs, Adame said. The van was seized.

Adame said that in the past 14 months, drug or immigrant smugglers have used the following counterfeit vehicles: a yellow school bus, two Border Patrol vehicles, a Phoenix news station truck, another FedEx van and a Douglas city utility vehicle.