“It’s dangerous and has proven fatal in some cases,” the Border Patrol said in a news release.

According to the agency, “trunk smuggling” is an age-old method of concealing contraband – or people – in a vehicle’s trunk in hopes the crime will go undetected by law enforcement.

“Our experienced agents have engaged in targeted enforcement operations which resulted in the rescue of 25 illegal aliens locked in vehicle trunks throughout the state last month,” the Border Patrol said on May 7.

Recent local cases include a U.S. woman who was arrested at the Interstate 19 checkpoint on March 30 for smuggling illegal immigrants. And on March 12, after a Border Patrol canine team alerted to a vehicle at the I-19 checkpoint, agents used non-intrusive inspection technology to discover two illegal immigrants hiding in the trunk. An inspection of the trunk also revealed there were no internal release levers or mechanisms that would have allowed the hidden passengers to exit in case of emergency, the Border Patrol said.

Last June, agents at the checkpoint discovered two illegal immigrant women from Mexico hidden in the trunk of a car, and when one of the women appeared to be in distress, the Tubac Fire Department was called out to assist.

“Trunk smuggling illustrates the disregard smugglers have for human life,” the Border Patrol said. “Often, illegal immigrants learn this the hard way after they agree to be smuggled into the United States. Entering the country illegally is inherently dangerous; even more so when individuals partner with profit-focused smugglers.”