Motorcycles ease travel for smugglers, migrants bound for U.S.-Mexico border

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Migrants smugglers in Mexico have recently been trying some innovative methods, but on Tuesday authorities said they detected a new scheme: ferrying migrants for hundreds of miles on the backs of motorcycles.

The National Immigration Institute said Tuesday it found eight motorcycles, each with a driver and a Cuban migrant riding on the back of the motorbike.

They were stopped Monday at a checkpoint in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco about 180 miles (300 kilometers) from where they set out.

But they were headed for the northern state of Coahuila, more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) to the north. The drivers were detained, and the migrants turned over to immigration authorities.

The detentions come just days after 28 Nicaraguans were found crammed inside a fake ambulance painted with logos from a government health agency. The vehicle was stopped in the Pacific coast state of Oaxaca.

The Institute said the driver had tried to pass himself off as a health care worker and was detained.

Migrants found in such circumstances are usually returned to their home countries, unless they are the victims of a crime.

Immigrant traffickers in Mexico general try to smuggle migrants in buses or freight trucks. The trucks are often painted with the logos of well-known companies to try to avoid scrutiny.