Three men—two U.S. citizens, Uriel Perez and Jovani Sanchez, and a Mexican national, Keven Valdez Ramirez—are set to be arraigned this week for allegedly smuggling 24 migrants using a "cloned" Border Patrol K-9 vehicle. A federal indictment filed in Arizona accuses them of transporting migrants from a breach in the border wall near Andrade, California, to a home in Yuma, Arizona.
Court documents reveal that the smuggling operation involved a white Ford F-150 truck modified to resemble a legitimate Border Patrol K-9 unit, complete with matching license plates. The driver also allegedly wore a dark green uniform similar to that of Border Patrol agents. Authorities suspect this vehicle was also used in a previous smuggling attempt in December.
Border Patrol agents monitoring the border wall from a casino parking lot in Winterhaven, California, observed the fake K-9 vehicle arriving at and departing from the breach site. Upon investigation, agents found footprints of up to 30 people leading away from the wall. They tracked the truck to a home in Yuma, where Sanchez later arrived in a blue Ford Explorer to pick up Perez.
Agents with the Border Patrol Anti-Smuggling Unit arrested Sanchez and Perez at a nearby residence. As law enforcement moved in, several individuals fled the Yuma house, attempting to escape into neighboring properties. Inside, agents encountered 15 people in the patio and heard a woman screaming for help, stating she was injured and unable to stand. A small child was near her. Medical assistance was requested, and a sweep of the home revealed additional migrants, bringing the total to 24 people in custody.
During a subsequent search, authorities found clothing resembling Border Patrol uniforms. Valdez, the Mexican national among the detainees, admitted to entering the U.S. legally with a visa but planned to pay smugglers $13,000 to bypass highway immigration checkpoints en route to Los Angeles. He allegedly agreed to monitor and photograph migrants at the house in exchange for a fee reduction.
Perez denied involvement, claiming he was heading to a fast-food restaurant at the time of his arrest. Sanchez initially echoed a similar story but later admitted to working as a scout for the smugglers, identifying Perez as the "load" driver. The men are scheduled for arraignment in federal court in Arizona on Wednesday, with Perez facing an additional hearing on February 19.
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