Man Held in Probe of Immigrant Smuggling

A binational investigation has led to the arrest of a Mexican man who is suspected of using his vantage point from his second-story home near the U.S. border to guide illegal immigrants away from Border Patrol agents.

Mexican federal police arrested Jaime Ochoa Ceja, 50, on Wednesday and raided three properties he owns in Jacumba, a community on the Mexican side of the border across from the San Diego County community of Jacumba.

Two women who said they were from El Salvador were found at the properties, along with two-way radios believed used to guide immigrants across the border, according to U.S. officials, who allege that Ochoa ran an extensive smuggling network.