Thread: DPS: Man abducted near bus stop, held at Phoenix drop house

DPS: Man abducted near bus stop, held at Phoenix drop house
Reported by: Katrina Wessman
August 17, 2009
Last Update: 1:29 pm

PHOENIX – Officials said Monday they busted a drop house after a man was abducted near a bus stop and held inside the home with other undocumented immigrants.

The Phoenix Police Department notified IIMPACT detectives about the man who was abducted at gunpoint after he got off of a bus and was walking to his home in the area of Roosevelt and 32nd streets on Tuesday.

The man was reportedly forced into a van by human smugglers and held in a drop house near Roosevelt and 27th streets for four days until his family paid the coyotes a ransom of $2,800.

The man was apparently abducted to replace another victim, who had escaped, so that the coyotes didn't have to pay their boss the lost ransom money of $2,800 by losing one victim.

Robert Bailey with the Arizona Department of Public Safety said the man led police to the drop house.

A suspected human smuggler was arrested following a traffic stop after he was identified by the victim and was seen getting into a truck to flee the house, according to the report.

At about 9:30 p.m. the Phoenix Police Department's Special Assignment Unit (SAU) responded and surrounded the residence and detained one remaining suspect and 10 suspected undocumented immigrants.

Bailey said the original victim was also an undocumented immigrant, but has been living in Phoenix most of his life.

IIMPACT detectives learned the other undocumented immigrants had arrived at the drop house earlier that morning and were immediately beaten violently by the coyotes and their shoes were also taken from them.

One suspected human smuggler reportedly threatened the undocumented immigrants with a six-inch knife, which was recovered by detectives.

The victims' families were told if ransom money was not paid their family members would be taken to a more violent place, according to Bailey.

One victim claimed to have seen one suspected human smuggler with a handgun; however the handgun was not located at the residence.

Jose Angel Lopez-Gutierrez, 26, of Mexico and Ariel Rodriguez-Duarte, 24 of Mexico were booked into the Maricopa County 4th Ave Jail on charges of kidnapping, extortion, armed robbery, human smuggling and misconduct involving weapons.

The undocumented immigrants were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

www.abc15.com

Glad to hear that Mexican-style gang activity has not spilled into the country. Thanks for that Napolitano and Chertoff.