US Customs catches human smuggling on X-Ray
BUFFALO, NY -- Two people hiding in a container about to be trucked from Canada to Buffalo, N.Y. were spotted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers using gamma-imaging technology. In a press statement, CBP confirmed it has apprehended two Guyanese nationals from the U.S.-bound commercial truck. Mootilan Ramphal, a Trinidadian national with Landed Immigrant Status in Canada, applied for entry into the U.S, at the Peace Bridge, says CBP. Ramphal presented a manifest and invoice for Styrofoam trays and window hardware. CBP officers selected the shipment for a secondary enforcement exam. During the course of the inspection, in which CBP officers used the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS) -- a gamma ray-emitting X-Ray technology that produces a high-resolution image scan of the conveyance's contents -- the two stowaways were spotted in the nose of the container among legitimate freight. The two individuals were arrested and identified as Bramhadaut Prashad and Debra Appadu, both Guyanese nationals without proper documentation. Ramphal was arrested on federal charges of alien smuggling. CBP at Port of Buffalo and many other border crossings frequently utilize both stationary and mobile VACIS units to inspect cargo. The gamma-imaging system functions on low levels of gamma radiation measured in millirem. The scanner used by CBP emits radiation levels that are measured in micro-rem, which is one-one thousandth of a millirem -- deemed completely safe by the U.S. EPA.