Task force arrests 4 in immigrant kidnapping ring


By: The Associated Press 02/18/11 5:00 AM
The Associated Press

Four men believed to have kidnapped illegal immigrants as they crossed the desert south of Phoenix and held them for ransom have been arrested by a law enforcement task force.

The men are believed to have kidnapped immigrants in a remote Pinal County desert area and driven them to a home in Phoenix. The suspects then called the immigrants' family members to get them to pay money for their release.

The arrests were announced Thursday by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Officers from DPS, Phoenix police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are assigned to the IIMPACT team that made the arrests.

A DPS release says officers searching a home where the men were staying found 160 pounds of marijuana, two handguns and numerous cell phones.

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