6 being held hostage rescued

6 being held hostage rescued

04:35 PM PDT on Friday, June 17, 2011
By STEVEN BARRIE
The Press-Enterprise

Two men were arrested today in Rancho Cucamonga after six people — four men and two women — were found being held against their will in a case of suspected human trafficking.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have joined the investigation, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a news release.

Detectives were called in after sheriff's dispatch received a call at 8:20 a.m. from a Spanish-speaking man who said he was being held prisoner with several other people, then the phone went dead, the department said.

Working with the cellular phone provider, detectives narrowed their search for the home to the area of Arrow Route and Etiwanda Avenue on the east side of the city, the department said. Eventually a search warrant was issued for a home in the 13000 block of Arrow; the warrant was executed early this afternoon.

Detectives found the six people being held and the two men suspected of holding them, all Hispanics.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the sheriff's Rancho Cucamonga Detective Division at 909-477-2800 or, to remain anonymous, call the We Tip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME.

—STEVEN BARRIE

sbarrie@PE.com

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