The News
Friday 29 of March 2024

Brazilian Man Attempts US Entry in a Gas Tank


Border Patrol truck drags tires behind their truck in order to erase car tire tracks and footprints which make it easier for them to identify any new tracks going into the U.S., at the Columbus border with Mexico on the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez,photo: Reuters/José Luis González
Border Patrol truck drags tires behind their truck in order to erase car tire tracks and footprints which make it easier for them to identify any new tracks going into the U.S., at the Columbus border with Mexico on the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez,photo: Reuters/José Luis González
The 38 year old and his innovative coyote were apprehended at the Calexico border crossing

A man has been charged with trying to sneak a Brazilian man into the United States from Mexico by hiding him in the gasoline tank of an SUV.

Jonathan Pantoja allegedly brought the 38-year-old inside the modified tank of a 2001 Toyota Sequoia early Tuesday at a crossing in Calexico, California. Customs and Border Protection says an imaging device spotted anomalies in the SUV’s gas tank and back seats.

A criminal complaint says the driver — a 40-year-old U.S. citizen — told authorities that he smuggled to pay off a $5,000 debt. His attorney didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The complaint says the Brazilian man told authorities he paid $5,800 to get to the border from Brazil and was to pay another $4,000 in Los Angeles.