Thread: AZ: 2 smugglers, 22 illegal immigrants arrested near Wickenb

2 smugglers, 22 illegal immigrants arrested near Wickenburg
Maxine Park
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 24, 2008 06:02 PM

Maricopa County Sheriff's officials arrested two smugglers and 22 illegal immigrants near Wickenburg on Thursday.

Sheriff's deputies with the Illegal Immigration Interdiction Unit arrested Jesus Mendoza-Hernandez and Omar Beltran-Rodas in separate cases connected with human smuggling.

Deputies found Mendoza in a Ford Expedition transporting 11 other illegal immigrants to Los Angeles, according to a news release. The immigrants told deputies they were each paying up to $4,000 to reach their destination.


In a separate investigation, Sheriff's deputies arrested Beltran after he was found transporting 11 illegal immigrants in a Toyota minivan. Deputies said passengers were paying Beltran anywhere from $500 to $4,000 to go to either Los Angeles or Houston.

Sheriff's deputies arrested and booked Mendoza and Beltran, along with 12 other people, in connection with felony charges under the Arizona State human smuggling law. The remaining illegal immigrants were processed under federal immigration law by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement trained Sheriff's deputies.

Authorities believe the fees paid by those arrested Thursday indicate a rise in the cost for human smuggling.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... t0124.html

The Invasion continues

If they are so poor and hungry....How the H...LL do they come up with $4000.00

They will be back.

I too have wondered how the illegal immigrants come up with the cash to pay smugglers.....in this case $4,000. Are drug cartels funding some of the smuggling to expand their networks? Am sure some receive the money from family already in the US.

Distrust and caution are the parents of security.
Benjamin Franklin

It's obvious were they get the $4000 to be smuggled into the United States.

They get it from family members who are already here in the United States working illegally. These invaders send money home each week to family members in Mexico. It does not take long to save that money since the illegals here live 10 to a house and are paid under the table.

This is how majority of them earn the money.