Authorities say money laundering ring busted
The Associated Press
Published: 08.11.2007
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/59879.php

PHOENIX - Authorities said Friday that they have broken up a money laundering ring run through a shuttle service whose employees sneaked money from Arizona into Mexico for drug and immigrant smugglers.

Forty-seven people, including the owner and some drivers for Mota's Shuttle Place, were indicted on money laundering and other charges. The business shuttled people by van between Phoenix and locations in Mexico.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said smugglers would hand over their ill-gotten proceeds to certain employees of the shuttle service and that the drivers would hide $30,000 to $50,000 on their persons.

Once near the border in Lukeville the person carrying the money would walk across the border into Mexico. Generally, people leaving Arizona aren't searched as they enter Mexico, Goddard said.

No one answered several phone calls placed Thursday afternoon at Mota's Phoenix office.

Phoenix police Lt. Vince Piano said the shuttle service helped 20 drug and immigrant smuggling groups sneak money across the border. It's not known how much money the shuttle service was paid in the money laundering scheme, Piano said.

After dropping off money at the shuttle service's offices in Arizona, people who worked for the smuggling operations where followed back to places in Phoenix where they ran their illegal businesses, Piano said. From there, investigators started to build drug cases against members of the groups, Piano said.

Goddard said the smuggling rings turned to the shuttle service after state authorities made it harder for their proceeds to be wired into Mexico.