Port of entry in Nogales closes after vehicle flees into Mexico
A vehicle coming from the U.S. raced into Mexico through the Mariposa port of entry in Nogales Wednesday afternoon, ramming through gates and attempting to avoid inspection.
The incident shut the Mariposa port of entry for almost a day, sending all southbound traffic to the DeConcini border crossing and creating long lines across downtown Nogales.
Customs and Border Protection officers attempted to close the southbound gates when the car failed to stop, but the vehicle accelerated, crashing into them. The driver and vehicle were then apprehended by Mexican authorities, a CBP spokesperson said.
The incident was still under investigation.
Southbound lanes at Mariposa port of entry reopened at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, a CBP spokesperson said.
Cesar Barrón, a local reporter in Nogales, Sonora, captured details of the Mexican National Guard’s recovery of the 1999 red Honda, which fell into a gully after escaping into Mexico.
The driver was taken into custody by the Mexican Attorney General’s Office in Nogales.
The vehicle is now in custody of the Mexican Attorney General’s Office.
On Tuesday, Mexican authorities had seized dozens of handgun chargers and assault rifle cartridges while inspecting vehicles entering from the U.S. through the Nogales port of entry.
Mexican officials found in a plastic bag inside the red Honda 10 chargers for 9mm pistols and 30 cartridges for long guns, with 233mm caliber ammunition regularly used for AR-15 weapons, a Mexican National Guard spokesperson told the newspaper Excelsior.
