19 suspected immigrants, smugglers arrested near Tonopah
14 commentsby Jonathan J. Cooper - Dec. 10, 2008 02:33 PM
The Arizona Republic

Law enforcement officers have arrested 11 suspected human smugglers and eight illegal immigrants following a traffic stop near Tonopah, officials announced Wednesday.

Two people fled from a Toyota minivan after a Department of Public Safety officer attempted to stop the vehicle on Interstate 10 near Tonopah around 9 p.m. Thursday, police said.

After the vehicle stopped, the driver and six passengers fled and were apprehended.

The driver, Paxtor-Alvarez Roberson, was charged with human smuggling. The passengers were processed as illegal immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala.

The immigrants told detectives they were charged more than $5,000 each to be smuggled into the United States and pointed officers to a suspected drophouse on the 7900 block of West Lumbee Street in Phoenix.

Detectives placed the home under surveillance. Officers pulled over a Ford Explorer that left the home and charged two people with human smuggling.

A short time later, officers stopped another vehicle seen leaving the drophouse. As officers interviewed a passenger, the vehicle fled. Four people were eventually arrested. Two of them were suspected human smugglers.

Officers later entered the drophouse and arrested five suspected human smugglers. Police found an assault weapon and ammunition inside the residence.

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