CBP Officers Discover Stowaways Hidden in a Locomotive

Five Canadians Apprehended in Portal, ND Rail Yard

Pembina, N.D. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Portal, North Dakota intercepted five Canadian citizens on June 25, who were riding concealed aboard a railroad engine after their illegal entry into the United States from Canada.

The stowaways were attempting to enter the U.S. when the train passed through a CBP imaging system where a CBP officer spotted the outlines of the subjects aboard the locomotive engine. The five individuals were taken into custody at the rail yard and transported to the Portal port of entry for processing and returned to Canada.

“The use of technology based tools such as gamma imaging systems are one of the tools in CBP’s arsenal that help identify stowaways and contraband attempting to be imported into the United States,” said Portal Port Director Brent Beeter. “We are very proud of the work our officers do every day.”

Gamma x-ray imaging technology systems produce transmission and reflected images of the contents of a cargo container, rail car, vehicle or trailer-truck. CBP officers analyze these images to determine where there are anomalies associated with the cargo listed on the manifest.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.