Entrant is Rescued; 1 Held as Smuggler
Arizona Daily Star, Jan. 20
Border Patrol agents rescued an abandoned illegal entrant suffering from exhaustion in a remote area of the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range on Wednesday.
The man was found after a 15-hour search, and based on information from him and others, agents have arrested the man they believe to be the smuggler, according to an agency news release.
Shortly after noon Tuesday, agents found four illegal entrants in the Growler Valley in the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, about 120 miles west of Tucson. The entrants said they had left a fifth person behind in an abandoned car on the bombing range because he could not go farther.
Search and rescue teams combed the area with help from agents in helicopters and the Air National Guard and the National Park Service. About 6 p.m., they found the vehicle and footprints leading away and located the man about 3:30 a.m.
The illegal entrants described the smuggler who had abandoned them on Sunday when they ran out of water. Agents identified a man arrested Tuesday in the same area as the smuggler.
The smuggling suspect, who was not identified, is in federal custody awaiting criminal charges.
