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  1. #1
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    AZ: 7 arrested in burned-body case

    7 arrested in burned-body case
    Suspects accused of smuggling immigrants


    Lindsey Collom
    The Arizona Republic
    May. 10, 2008 12:00 AM

    When the body of a man set on fire was discovered earlier this week, Phoenix police not only got a case of whodunit. They also got to scratch off one of the suspects they were investigating as a high-level boss in a human-smuggling ring.

    On Thursday night, police made a bust in the killing, arresting seven people and rescuing a second man who was kidnapped alongside the homicide victim.

    Authorities say the case illustrates the continuing violence of human-smuggling groups operating in the Valley, where brutality plays out between rival organizations and today's victim is tomorrow's suspect.

    "It's all about money and it's all about profit," said Lt. Lauri Burgett of Phoenix police's Violent Crimes Bureau. "They really stop at nothing, including killing and burning a body. And I think they do that to further their intimidation tactics."

    Phoenix police investigated 356 border-related kidnappings in 2007, about 40 percent more than the previous year. Police say the uptick is an indication that both more kidnappings are taking place and that more people are reporting them.

    Still, authorities suspect the majority go unreported in part because most victims are illegal immigrants involved in smuggling activity.

    All suspects arrested Thursday night were accused of participating in immigrant smuggling. So were their victims.

    Police now believe the homicide victim, a Guatemalan named Aroldo Virsabi-Robles Gonzalez, was a high-ranking leader in a human-smuggling organization and that his status may have led to his death. Gonzalez, 26, was also the subject of a smuggling investigation earlier this year, Burgett said.

    Gonzalez's girlfriend told police about the kidnapping after she saw a news report about a man's body found burning in a Phoenix dumpster Monday and worried it was him.

    The woman told police Gonzalez left his Mesa apartment about 8:30 p.m. May 1 with a friend, identified only as Javier. Police said the pair was kidnapped that night in a parking lot at 55th Avenue and McDowell Road in Phoenix.

    On Wednesday, the investigation led police to an apartment near University Drive and Gilbert Road in Mesa. Inside, they found and arrested 14 undocumented immigrants. They also found evidence leading to a Phoenix address where Javier was being held.

    About 10 p.m. Thursday, Phoenix police and members of the IIMPACT Arizona task force made entry into a home in the 5600 block of South 11th place. Javier was located in an upstairs closet. He was tied up and appeared to have been roughed up, police said.

    Arrested were Faustino Cordero Flores, 30; Maretsa Zazueta, 23; Jose Luis Melendez, 23; Jorge Alberto Delgado, 27; Jose David Aguilera, 24; Fidel Godinez Garcia, 23; and Rafael Salas Palacios, 19. All face murder and kidnapping charges. Their immigration status was not immediately available.

    Authorities could not say whether the suspects were a rival to or part of the same smuggling organization as the victims. The detectives of IIMPACT, which was formed by the Department of Public Safety to root out groups that profit from human smuggling, will continue investigating the rings involved in the case.

    Authorities hope their efforts will deal a hefty blow to border-related kidnappings and other crimes in Arizona. In the meantime, the public needs to pay attention, said Joseph Klima, commander of Phoenix police's Violent Crimes Bureau.

    "These crimes are being committed in our neighborhoods," Klima said. "We have had investigations in the past year where shots have been fired in our neighborhoods. ... It does affect the average citizen."

    http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... e0510.html
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

  2. #2

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    Sounds kind of like what the elites and our gvt ..Everything for the dollar..

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