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10:45am -- 6 Charged With Harboring Aliens
Written by Bruce Daniels - ABQnewsSeeker
Wednesday, 27 December 2006
ICE agents say arrests tied to "elaborate" smuggling ring in Dona Ana County.

Five people were arraigned in Las Cruces Tuesday following their indictment last week on charges of conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said today in a news release.

A sixth person, indicted with the others last Wednesday, is expected to turn himself in on Jan. 4, according to the ICE news release.

Arrested last Friday by ICE agents, with the assistance of Border Patrol agents from the Santa Teresa station, were Maria Sotelo a/k/a Dona Maria a/k/a Maria de los Angeles Corrales, 38; Salvador Solis, 36; Josie Solis, 30, Alonso Flores-Villa, 26; and Antonio Campa-Corrales a/k/a Jose Bampa, 46.

All were arrested in Anthony, N.M., except for Flores-Villa, who was taken into custody in Fabens, Texas.

Also indicted was Joseph M. Padilla, 61, who was expected to surrender to authorities next week, the news release said.

The six were charged with conspiring to transport and harbor illegal immigrants in Dona Ana County and elsewhere in New Mexico, according to the release.

"This was an elaborate alleged smuggling organization that we believe operated for almost two years," Roberto G. Medina, special agent in charge of the ICE investigations office in El Paso, said in the release.

Medina said that since March 2005 federal agents have made four criminal arrests and more than 200 administrative arrests from what he called "stash houses" in Anthony that were connected to the alleged ring.

Also arrested on Friday in Anthony were four illegal immigrants, who were returned to Mexico the same day, the release said.

The defendants who were arraigned on Tuesday remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service awaiting a bond hearing.