Aircraft smuggling is on the rise according to U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement And more details on a story we brought to you this week about a pilot arrested for suspicion of trying to fly illegal immigrants.
Smuggling is like a cat an mouse game according to ICE and it is occurring more often.
"Were always trying to figure out what smugglers are doing and their method of operation. If it's not by car, it's by tunnel, or it's by aircraft. When they are not smuggling drugs they are smuggling illegal aliens. Aircraft smuggling is just another form of all these," says Ricardo A. Sandoval, a Special Agent with ICE.
Agent Sandoval tells news 13 why smuggling is becoming more common.
"I think that smuggling is increasing because of the economy and lack of jobs. I think it will continue and people are doing what they can do to make money," says Agent Sandoval.
Lino Rodriguez Chavez is a pilot who was arrested last week charged with allowing 3 illegal immigrants from Mexico to board his Cessna plane at the imperial county airport.
According to court documents special agents had been surveilling the suspected illegal immigrants staying at a Motel 6 in el Centro before catching them at the airport.
"These were Mexican nationals so they came from Mexico, we believe they came from the ports of entry and they were in route to Los Angles," says Sandoval.
Agent Sandoval says the illegal immigrants pay up to 5,000 dollars to get transported by plane.
ICE says the plane involved in the sting was the 4-th aircraft found to be used for smuggling people since last year in the agency's el Centro sector alone.
The Cessna plane was seized and Chavez has since posted 20-thousand dollars bond.
He's due back in court next month.
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