Fort Covington, N.Y. – U.S. Border Patrol Agents from the Burke and Massena Border Patrol Stations arrested four individuals in connection with a failed smuggling attempt on Wednesday.

On March 18, Border Patrol agents attempted to stop a vehicle that was suspected of being involved with an alien smuggling event. The driver of the vehicle was observed transporting three individuals on State Route 37 near Fort Covington.

Border Patrol Agents attempted to stop the vehicle, however, as the vehicle appeared to be stopping, three occupants exited the vehicle and then the driver sped up in an attempt to flee. As the driver continued to flee, she crashed her vehicle into several Border Patrol vehicles and was ultimately apprehended by agents. Agents successfully apprehended the three occupants. Two were determined to be citizens of India and the third was a citizen of Italy. All three were found to be illegally present in the United States. There were no reported injuries during the incident. Border Patrol transported the driver to the hospital for precautionary measures.

The driver was charged with Alien Smuggling, in violation of Title 8 U.S.C. Section 1324. Alien smuggling is a felony, which carries a penalty of a fine and up to 5 years in prison. All three occupants in the vehicle were found to have illegally entered the United States from Canada through the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation and were charged with Improper Entry by an Alien, in violation of Title 8 U.S.C. Section 1325, a misdemeanor.

“We have incredible agents that work day and night to secure our nation’s border”, said Burke Station’s Patrol Agent in Charge Chris Buskey, “Thanks to their efforts, another smuggling attempt has been denied.”

The Swanton Sector is responsible for securing the land border between ports of entry in Vermont, New Hampshire and northeastern New York. The coordination with assistance of citizens is invaluable to the Border Patrol's border security mission and we welcome community members' help to keep our nation’s borders safe. Please report suspicious activity at 1-800-689-3362. For more on Customs and Border Protection’s mission at our nation’s ports of entry with CBP officers and along U.S. borders with Border Patrol agents, please visit the Border Security section of the CBP website.