U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Yuma Sector disrupted two human smuggling incidents in recent days, including one case where migrants were abandoned in the desert during extreme heat.

In the first incident, agents from the Wellton Station rescued three Mexican nationals over the weekend after their smuggler, 20-year-old Jose Uriel Meraz Aguilar, also a Mexican national, allegedly left them behind when they could no longer keep up.

Agents located the group before the situation became fatal. All three migrants were suffering from heat exhaustion and exposure. A 34-year-old woman was transported to a hospital for advanced medical care.

Aguilar remains in custody and faces felony human smuggling charges, including enhancements for endangerment of life. The three migrants are being charged

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