"CBP officers regularly find drugs hidden inside the gas tanks of vehicles, it's much less common if not unprecedented to find a person concealed inside one. The woman, a Mexican citizen, was discovered when a CBP officer inspecting the SUV observed a human foot sticking out of the gas tank, according to a criminal complaint against the driver filed in San Diego federal court."
"Officers then began taking apart the tank, which was not factory standard, and discovered the woman lying in a puddle of gasoline, appearing disoriented and suffering from apparent chemical burns to her legs and feet; she was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation, treated and quickly released."
"After the dog zeroed in on the underside of the SUV, the driver was detained, and the vehicle was taken to a secondary screening area. An officer monitoring a vehicle X-ray machine did not detect anything wrong with the vehicle, but another officer doing a physical inspection spotted the woman's foot, according to the complaint."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry discovered a woman concealed inside a modified gas tank of an SUV on February 27. A CBP officer noticed a strong gasoline odor and a human foot protruding from the tank. The non-factory standard tank was disassembled to reveal the woman lying in gasoline, disoriented with chemical burns on her legs and feet. The vehicle, driven by a U.S. citizen, was flagged when a drug-detection dog alerted to the underside. Officers found a newly welded access panel beneath the back seats. The woman received medical treatment and was hospitalized. This incident represents an unusual case of human smuggling, as gas tanks typically conceal drugs rather than people.
Read at www.sandiegouniontribune.com
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