Yu Zou, Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain, California 2026

Yu Zou, a US citizen, has been charged with Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain in a case that highlights the ongoing efforts of federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California to combat border-related crimes.

The case against Zou stems from an incident that occurred on March 9, when he applied for admission to the US in the vehicle lanes of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry by presenting false immigration documents on behalf of his passenger. Customs and Border Protection officers determined that the passenger was a citizen of China who was unauthorized to enter the US.

Zou, 38, of San Diego, was taken into custody after the incident and was subsequently charged with Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. He is currently being held without bond pending a preliminary hearing.

The Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district in the country, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico.

In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking, and national security.

A sample of border-related arrests this week includes Carlos David Lizarraga Santos, a Mexican citizen, who was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. Customs and Border Protection officers found 41 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the dash and gas tank of Santos’ vehicle as he applied for admission to the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

Another defendant, Johan Estuardo Garcia-Grajeda, a citizen of Guatemala, was arrested and charged with Attempted Entry after Deportation. Garcia-Grajeda was arrested by Border Patrol agents in the US, about five miles west of the Tecate Port of Entry, after he was previously deported in October 2025.

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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