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2 men arrested by Utah Highway Patrol for allegedly smuggling 7-year-old girl

Fox 13

Two men were arrested by Utah Highway Patrol over the weekend for allegedly smuggling a 7-year-old girl across the country.

33-year-old Alejandro Marcos Carrillo-Lira and 21-year-old Brandon Alexis Vargas Cardoso were pulled over on I-15 in southern Utah. The arresting officer had pulled over their white Nissan Altima on Saturday because their window tint was darker than what Utah law allows. The two men were also committing a lane violation.

The trooper became suspicious of criminal activity after another trooper arrived at the scene, a K-9 search was conducted. The dog discovered the presence of narcotics but no drugs were found in the vehicle.

Carrillo-Lira and Cardoso were each booked on one first-degree felony count for aggravated human smuggling after a 7-year-old girl was discovered in the back seat. Carrillo-Lira tried claiming the girl as his daughter but troopers noticed she had no belongings or extra clothing. The two men later admitted to smuggling her across the country.

The girl was placed in custody of the Utah Division of Child and Family Services and both men were arrested and booked without bail.

Jared Gereau is pursuing a Journalism major with an emphasis in Social Media at Utah State University. He is planning on using his experience to pursue a career with USU Athletics sometime after he graduates. In his free time, Jared enjoys watching movies, playing games and creating content for his YouTube channel.