Too hot for human smuggling

Two U.S. citizens were arrested Sunday after Border Patrol agents found an undocumented 18-year-old Mexican national locked in the trunk of their Toyota Camry parked along the shoulder of Interstate 8 east of Pine Valley.

According to an agency release, Border Patrol officials encountered the car stopped along the freeway near an immigration checkpoint. After questioning, they requested that a canine unit be dispatched to perform a cursory search of the vehicle.

The unnamed female driver consented to a search while waiting for the dog team to arrive, which led to the discovery of the man, who was "sweating profusely due to the heat" and without a source of water or access to an emergency trunk release.

Upon determining that the individual in the trunk was present in the country illegally, the driver and another male companion were placed under arrest, along with the trunk occupant. The pair up front now face human-smuggling charges.