Four Chinese citizens in the trunk of a car that Customs and Border Protection reports was being driven by 24-year-old Jose Emiliano Aguilar, son of Mexican superstar Pepe Aguilar. The car was stopped at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif.,
Los Angeles: The son of popular Mexican singer Pepe Aguilar has been arrested on charges of trying to smuggle four Chinese immigrants into the United States in the trunk of his car, authorities said Friday.
Jose Emiliano Aguilar, 24, was nabbed at the US-Mexico border on March 14 when federal agents searched his vehicle and found the stowaways crammed inside after a sniffer dog alerted its handlers, US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.
The three Chinese women and one man said they had agreed to pay Aguilar between $3,000 and $60,000 to be smuggled into the country, officials said.
The young man, who is a US citizen and was released on $15,000 bail pending his arraignment, is the oldest of the Grammy winner's five children.
Pepe Aguilar is one of Mexico's most popular mariachi singers and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The attorney representing his son, Jeremy Warren, told AFP in a statement that he understood the interest the case has generated but would not comment on it.
"This case has nothing to do with Pepe Aguilar," Warren said. "Jose Aguilar is a young man who will address this matter in court, and not in the press.
"We understand that Pepe Aguilar will provide a statement shortly. In the meantime, we ask that you respect the family's privacy."
The prosecutor in the case, Blanca Quintero, could not be reached for comment and told local media she would not be discussing the case either.
Under the terms of his release, Aguilar must live with his mother, cannot leave California and must undergo counseling.
