Customs officials discovered 48-year-old Pornkamol Mongkolsermsak while inspecting a 4x4 vehicle as it attempted to cross into Nogales, Arizona.

Edith Serrano, spokeswoman for US Customs and Border Protection, said: "Rarely do we see something like this. You can imagine the (border) officers' surprise when they came upon this woman crammed inside a suitcase, but there she was."

Mongkolsermsak, from Bangkok, was being driven by a 56-year-old man from the city of Phoenix, whose name had not been released. The 48-year-old has been charged with re-entry after deportation.