May 23, 2008


Alleged human smuggler arrested near Palm Springs

Desert Sun wires

An immigrant smuggler who brought a 17-year-old boy over the U.S-Mexico border to Banning kidnapped him today when his father couldn't pay for his delivery, but police caught up to them in Palm Springs, a sergeant said.

Police were called to a convenience store on 22nd and Ramsey streets in Banning about 3:10 p.m., to investigate the report of a kidnapping, Banning police Sgt. Nic Schoen said.

A man told police he had been expecting his son to be brought to the store by ``coyotes'' who smuggled him out of Mexico but when they arrived, the man only had $2,000 of the $3,000 cost, said Schoen.

The smugglers took the boy away and the man called police, Schoen said.

Armed with a description of the vehicle and a partial license plate, police kept a lookout for the smugglers and their hostage and caught up with the vehicle at another convenience store in Palm Springs shortly before 4 p.m., Schoen said.

The boy was unharmed and one of the coyotes had been dropped off somewhere, Schoen said.

Federal agents were called and took over the investigation, Schoen said.

The father and son, while not reunited, did see each other at the police station, Schoen said.

``We didn't let them talk but they saw each other,'' Schoen said.

Schoen said he expected the boy would be sent back to Mexico and the father may face federal charges.

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