see also: in February 2007 News Releases:   Border Officers Respond To Medical Emergency   Federal Authorities Seize Narcotics Valued at More Than $15 Million in Caribbean   Spring Breakers: Get Your Passports Now   CBP Seizes 403 Pounds of Undeclared Cheese, Two Vehicles at Colombia-Solidarity Bridge   U.S.-Canada Trusted Air Traveler Program Expands   CBP Border Patrol Agents Rescue 56 Aliens from Truck   ACE Mandated for E-manifest Filing at Border Ports in Michigan and New York ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Calexico, Calif.— U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducting border security inspections over the weekend at the downtown Calexico port of entry had to rip open a vehicle dashboard to remove an undocumented 40-year old Chinese male they discovered hidden in a car driven by a U.S. citizen returning from Mexico.

City paramedics also were called due to concerns for the well being of the man after he was discovered by officers during an extensive secondary inspection of the 1999 Mercury Sable bearing Calif. license plates.

CBP officers encountered the driver, a 53-year old resident of Desert Hot Springs, as he entered the port on Saturday, February 3, at about 10 a.m. Inconsistencies in the driver’s answers to questions resulted in his referred to the secondary area for further inspection.

In the secondary lot, CBP officers discovered a specially constructed compartment underneath the dashboard area of the car. Using a mirror, officers could see part of a man’s foot exposed under the dash of the vehicle.

Following a call for medical assistance, fire department officials and paramedics arrived at the port after officers succeeded in tearing the dash compartment apart to free the smuggled man. The man refused to be taken to a local medical center and later was medically cleared by paramedics.

The driver was advised of his rights, charged with alien smuggling, and transported to the Imperial County jail. The vehicle was seized by CBP.

The passenger, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, was held by CBP and will be a material witness in the prosecution case.

The apprehension capped an active week at the Calexico ports of entry that included 18 narcotic seizures totaling 1,353 pounds of marijuana and 189 pounds of cocaine.

During FY2006, CBP officers at the Calexico ports of entry apprehended over 8,700 undocumented migrants and seized over 62,000 pounds of narcotics. The fiscal year began October 1, 2005.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.