We have heard of drugs in a gas tank, but never an actual person hiding in a gas tank. The man was in the gas tank sneaking into the United States
On Feb. 27, 2026 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in Sandiego, CA found a illegal immigrant hiding in a gas tank of a GMC SUV.
The incident occurred at 7:30 p.m. when CBP officers encountered a 20-year-old man driving a 2005 GMC SUV. During an initial inspection, a CBP canine team alerted to the vehicle’s undercarriage.
The driver was attempting to smuggle a Mexican national who was concealed in a non-factory compartment built into the vehicle’s gas tank.
Officers drove the vehicle to a secondary inspection area and found a person hidden inside the gas tank. Emergency personnel transported the individual to Scripps Mercy Hospital in Chula Vista, California, for treatment of burn injuries sustained during the smuggling attempt.
The driver was arrested and booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego.
