Border Patrol arrested a woman for the second time in one week Wednesday on allegations of attempting to smuggle people through the Sarita checkpoint.
A criminal complaint against Lia Cecile Manganaro says she arrived at the checkpoint at around 11:45 a.m. that day in a black Chevrolet Blazer and the agent conducting the immigration inspection recognized her from a prior smuggling attempt a week earlier.
“The primary agent noticed that Manganaro recognized him as well, which appeared to make her extremely nervous,” the complaint states. “The primary agent asked Manganaro what her destination was and if she could roll down the windows to the vehicle. Manganaro did not respond or reply.”
Then, as the agent walked toward the rear of the vehicle, she took off from the checkpoint but was apprehended after about five miles, according to the complaint.
“Other agents responded to assist and discovered four subjects hiding in the rear seat underneath miscellaneous items,” the complaint states. “The four subjects admitted to (being) illegally present in the United States.”
The charging document notes that Manganaro was driving the same vehicle used in the previous smuggling attempt on Sept. 22 and that the people being smuggled were concealed in exactly the same way.
She declined to provide a statement to investigators.
Manganaro is being temporarily held without bond pending probable cause and detention hearings scheduled for early next week, court records indicate.
