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Updated: Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Hostages part of smuggling operation

By Patrick McCreless

What at first was considered to be a hostage situation on U.S. Highway 280 by local law enforcement officials on Sunday turned out to be an illegal alien smuggling operation that did not go according to plan.

"There were two coyotes (smugglers) who were transporting three illegal aliens," said Temple Black, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Black said the incident was first categorized as a hostage situation because the drivers would not allow their passengers to leave the vehicle.

"Apparently, the coyotes wanted more money from the aliens that they didn't have or wouldn't provide," he said.

The Alabama State Troopers office in Opelika received a call at 2:04 p.m. Sunday from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department in Tampa, Fla., concerning a possible kidnapping.

According to trooper reports, the call stated the supposed kidnappers and their hostages were all traveling in a green GMC Savanna on U.S. 280 toward Alexander City.

Both the Camp Hill and Dadeville Police Departments were called in to assist the state troopers in the apprehension of the suspects. The combined force of law enforcement officers stopped the suspected vehicle around 2:26 p.m. in the Dadeville area.

Since the situation was first considered to be a hostage case, a local FBI officer was called to the scene.

Eric Dowdell, public information officer for the Alabama State Troopers, said two of the vehicle occupants were at first identified as kidnappers and the other three were identified as the victims. A stolen handgun was also found in the vehicle.

However, what was soon discovered was that the incident was not a hostage situation, but instead an illegal immigrant smuggling operation.

All the vehicle occupants were turned over to Alabama ICE agents. Nobody was hurt during the incident.

Currently, the two smugglers are being held in Montgomery by the U.S. Marshals Service and have been charged with transporting illegal aliens. The identities of the two suspects could not be released at this time.

The three aliens are also still in custody but will soon be sent back home.

"We will check their backgrounds and if they have no outstanding offenses against them, they will be deported to their home country," Black said. "Since all three are from Mexico, it should be fairly quick ... probably within a few days."

Transporting illegal aliens is a felony offense. If convicted of the crime, the two suspects could face up to 10 years in prison apiece for each illegal transported for a possible total of 30 years behind bars.