Border agents find Mexican nationals being smuggled into US under van floorboard, car trunk

— -- U.S. Border Patrol agents in Arizona on Friday night discovered three Mexican nationals hiding under a van's floorboard in an attempt to enter the U.S. illegally. Two days later, agents found two different Mexican nationals attempting to do the same, but they hid in the trunk of a car.

The drivers of the Friday and Sunday incidents, a 55-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, respectively, are both U.S. citizens and were arrested for "smuggling illegal immigrants," U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.

The five Mexican nationals, ranging in age from 21 to 35, are being processed for immigration violations. Both vehicles were seized.

Both incidents took place at the Interstate 19 checkpoint south of Tucson, Arizona.

In regards to the Friday night incident, CBP said in a statement, "An agent referred a 2008 Dodge Caravan for a secondary inspection Friday evening after a Border Patrol canine alerted to an odor it was trained to detect. Upon further inspection, agents discovered three adult male Mexican nationals under the van’s floorboard."

As for the Sunday night incident, CBP said its border agents referred a 2005 Nissan Maxima for a secondary inspection. After opening the vehicle's trunk, agents discovered two adult Mexican nationals inside.