Arpaio sweep in Arizona desert nets 16 arrests

by Stephanie Russo - Jul. 16, 2010 10:19 AM
The Arizona Republic

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputies and volunteers arrested 16 people, with seven suspected of being illegal immigrants, not far from Interstate 8 near Gila Bend.

The office said it was the first-ever suppression operation in the desert.

The seven suspected undocumented immigrants were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel after being detained in Vekol Valley, east of Gila Bend, Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jesse Spurgin said.

Nine other people were detained in the operation for miscellaneous charges or outstanding warrants, Spurgin said.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio and about 100 men staged the operation, which began around 4 p.m. and was scheduled to end at 2 a.m.

According to Spurgin, MCSO pursued intelligence from a tip to their hotline that the area was a corridor for drug smugglers and human trafficking.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... -abrk.html