SAN YSIDRO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry found five Mexican citizens concealed in three vehicles during a three-hour span early Wednesday, authorities said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection photo A person is concealed in one of three vehicles found to contain undocumented immigrants.

Four people were arrested and will face federal smuggling charges, said Vince Bond, a spokesman for the agency.

The five undocumented immigrants will be returned to Mexico.

About 12:20 a.m., CBP officers who inspected a 1993 Chevrolet Lumina found a compartment in the car's undercarriage. A 23-year-old man and his 18-year old sister were hidden inside.

The driver, a 44-year old woman, and her passenger, a 47-year-old man, were arrested, Bond said. Both are U.S. citizens who live in Oceanside.

Thirty minutes later, officers inspected a 1990 Pontiac Transport because the driver appeared very nervous, Bond said. They found a hidden undercarriage compartment with two women inside, ages 27 and 33.

The driver, a U.S. citizen who lives in Chula Vista, was arrested.

About 3:15 a.m., CBP officers discovered a 49-year-old woman hidden inside the dashboard of a 1993 Mercury Villager. The 43-year-old male driver, a Mexican national who lives in San Ysidro, was arrested.

All three vehicles were seized.

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