Thread: Transport of illegal immigrant bungled

5:41 PM, January 20, 2009
A false report of a road rage incident in Contra Costa County on Tuesday led authorities on a search for kidnappers before they figured out they were dealing with a case involving the transport of an illegal immigrant.

About 2:30 p.m., the California Highway Patrol responded to calls of an accident caused by angry drivers on State Route 4 in Concord, according to Officer Tom Maguire.

Officers discovered a 1996 green Mercury Sable wagon in the eastbound lanes near Solano Way, he said.

Its driver, Javier Mendoza, 35, of Oakland said he had been struck from behind by a white van and that its occupants then got out, grabbed his sister-in-law and forced her into their vehicle, Maguire said.

About a dozen officers began investigating the incident as a kidnapping as they searched for Ivis Roxanna, 34, he said.

But when officers interviewed Mendoza’s ex-wife, the case took a new twist.

“Through contact with Mr. Mendoza’s ex-wife, who is Miss Roxanna’s sister, our investigators learned the kidnapping charge was false,â€

OMG That is my old stomping grounds. I can picture the area perfectly, it is near the old drive-in, which is where I am guessing the exchange was to have taken place. During the weekend days that drive-in is a Mexican flea market. THANK YOU LORD THAT YOU GOT ME OUT OF CALIFORNIA!!

Alleged Abduction Turns Into Human Trafficking Case
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 – updated: 8:41 pm PST January 20, 2009

CONCORD, Calif. -- What was reported as a kidnapping in Concord early Tuesday has turned out to be a case of human trafficking and illegal immigration gone awry, according to CHP officials.

The CHP responded to a traffic collision around 2:30 a.m. on the highway near Solano Way where they found a green Mercury Sable with significant rear-end damage, CHP Officer Tom Maguire said.

Havier Mendoza, 35, said he was driving the Mercury when a white Chevrolet Astro rear-ended him, Maguire said.

Mendoza had two passengers in the car with him, Jose Sanchez, 24, and his sister-in-law Ivis Roxanna, 34.

Mendoza told the CHP two men got out of the van when they were pulled over and kidnapped Roxanna, who was standing outside of the car, Maguire said.

They got back in the van and left, he said.

But investigators say statements given by Mendoza and Sanchez contradicted each other and ran counter to reports from eyewitnesses. Officer Maguire said from the start, investigators doubted Mendoza's claim that Roxanna had been kidnapped.

"The statements just didn't have the air of truth," said Maguire.

However, as the CHP proceeded to investigate the incident, they discovered the crash was in fact linked to a case of illegal human smuggling.

"He paid a certain amount of money to have her [Roxanna] transported up here from somewhere in Central America, We think Mexico," explained Officer Maguire.

The CHP says when Mendoza didn't pay the transporters, they refused to release the woman. That was when Mendoza started chasing the white van. The resulting crash happened after he braked to block the van's path.

"Ms. Roxanna was always in that van, [She] never left it and was eventually transported to San Ramon where she was dropped off," said Officer Maguire.

Roxanna then managed to contact Mendoza, who brought her to his home in Oakland. By then, investigators understood the situation and picked them both up for questioning.

The CHP is still looking for the white van with California license plate number 4RMk979. The van, which is registered in Southern California, has not been reported stolen. CHP officials say if they've stumbled onto a smuggling ring, this case may be far from over.

The CHP has not yet decided if it will to call on federal agents to handle the immigration aspect of the case or if it will charge Mendoza for filing a false police report.

http://www.foxreno.com/news/18521349/detail.html