COCHISE COUNTY, Ariz — Three teenagers from throughout Arizona have been arrested within the last week for allegedly participating in human smuggling in Cochise County.
The sheriff's office has reported making three separate arrests involving young Arizona residents allegedly transporting undocumented migrants.
The Cochise County Sheriff's Office said a 16-year-old from Buckeye was arrested on March 17 after crashing a vehicle on Interstate 10 near milepost 297. The teen was taken into custody and three migrants were turned over to Border Patrol.
A 15-year-old from Tucson was arrested on March 15 after driving recklessly around Tombstone. After tire-deflation devices immobilized the teen's car, the driver allegedly ran off and was apprehended by law enforcement. Two migrants were reportedly found in the vehicle, CCSO said.
An 18-year-old from Phoenix was arrested on March 12 after attempting to evade deputies near St. David. Three migrants were allegedly in the teen's car and turned over to Border Patrol.
Each of the teens could be facing serious criminal charges.
Young people in Arizona have been regularly recruited by smuggling operations to help transport migrants crossing over the border. Over the last couple of years, law enforcement agencies have warned that smugglers will often recruit Arizona teens through social media and online video games to work for them.
UP TO SPEED
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.