On January 7, law enforcement officers were monitoring a suspected smuggling vehicle in Cochise County.
Law enforcement officers from a multi-agency task force made a traffic stop on the vehicle. The vehicle had a Mexican license plate and was driven by a Mexican citizen. The woman driving the car had two young children with her. One of the children was her biological daughter, and the other was an 8-year-old boy. Her vehicle was temporarily seized while it was searched for narcotics, and the woman got a motel room in Eloy.
During the vehicle search, federal partners researched the woman further. Officers from the task force called the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office to contact the woman, suspecting she may be involved in trafficking children for the cartel. When PCSO deputies contacted the woman, her story made no sense. Deputies believed the boy appeared to be coached in his responses.
Deputies found out the woman gave deputies a false name of the boy. They were able to get the woman to admit she was smuggling the 8-year-old boy for money. She did not know the boy’s family or his final destination.
Cochise County Sheriff’s Office deputies also drove to Eloy to assist with the investigation. Federal agents took custody of the boy, and they intend to pursue federal charges on the woman.
The intention of the traffickers with the boy is still unknown.
