Alleged gang member driving from U.S. arrested at Canadian border after making wrong turn

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officer Jeffery Hill checks the trunk of a motorist's vehicle entering the United States at the Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, N.Y., June 1, 2009. (AP / David Duprey)

An alleged gang member coming from the United States was arrested at the Canadian border after reportedly making a wrong turn onto the Peace Bridge border crossing.

On Nov. 22, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers said they encountered a 24-year-old Honduran who did not present a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant document at the primary inspection area at the border crossing in the Port of Buffalo. An example of a WHTI document would be a valid U.S. passport.

After the driver was brought to secondary examination, CBP officers said they identified him as Franklyn Hernandez Giron, an alleged member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang.

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"This example of the dangerous individuals our CBP officers encounter highlights the dedication and commitment these officers have to keeping our communities safe," Gaetano Cordone, area port director, said in a release issued on Monday.

"I'm proud of the work our officers do every day to safeguard America."

Officers said they brought Giron into custody, who was subsequently processed to face removal proceedings.

Giron was the second driver that week who inadvertently ended up at the Canadian border.

On Nov. 24, a 62-year-old commercial truck driver was misguided by his GPS device to turn toward Canada instead of Michigan.

He lacked the required paperwork to travel north, the border patrol agency said, and though he declared he was in possession of a firearm, CBP determined he was unlawfully carrying it due to prior felony convictions, prohibiting him from possession one.