Published: 09.10.2009

Six in custody following discovery of drop house on Tucson's south side
By Alexis Huicochea
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Six suspected human smugglers are in custody after authorities busted a drop house on Tucson’s south side early Thursday.
One of the people that was being held in the home escaped and called 911, tipping police of to the location of the drop house, said Vincent Picard, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman.
The 911 call was made shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday.
Tucson police officers responded to the trailer in the 6000 block of South Park Avenue, near East Mossman Road, Picard said.
They knocked on the door and noted that people were inside but no one was coming out, he said.
Tucson police secured a search warrant and brought out the SWAT team, Picard said. The SWAT team convinced the occupants to come out.
In all, there were eight people who had been smuggled into the country. Seven were from Mexico and one was from Honduras. Of those, two were women.
They told authorities that some had been held in the trailer for a couple of days, while others said they had been there for up to two weeks, said Sgt. Diana Lopez, a Tucson Police Department spokeswoman.
All appeared to be in good condition. None required medical attention.
No one was restrained in any way but they were not free to leave, Lopez said. The residence was equipped with security bars.
“Often times in hostage situations or when you have a large number of people, they are not receiving adequate food or water, so that is something we are concerned about,â€