Authorities: Deported man returned to US, hidden aboard ship

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a man from El Salvador who was twice deported from the U.S. tried to return by stowing away aboard a cargo ship.

U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine of the Southern District of Georgia said in a news release Friday that 35-year-old Jaime Dagoberto Chavez-Guevara was arrested by U.S. Customs agents on a ship at the Port of Savannah. He was charged with illegal entry into the U.S.

Prosecutors said Chavez-Guevara used a boat to reach the ship while it was anchored in Panama, then climbed up the anchor chain. The crew later discovered and detained him.

Christine's office said Chavez-Guevara was previously deported from Texas in 2017 and from Arizona in 2018.

An attorney listed for Chavez-Guevara in court records did not immediately return a phone message.