Authorities Accuse Man Of Smuggling Illegal Immigrants
May 7, 2008

By Melissa Sherman
The Morning News

ROGERS - A man found driving a van filled with suspected illegal immigrants is expected to be prosecuted for alien smuggling, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Wednesday.

Benton County deputy Corey Coggin stopped the white Dodge van as it headed south on Interstate 540 near Wagon Wheel Road around 11:20 p.m. Tuesday. The van had a forged, hand-written license plate, according to a Benton County Sheriff's Office report.

Deputies found 12 suspected illegal immigrants crammed inside the van. The 12 were transported to the Benton County Jail and later released to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Sheriff Keith Ferguson.

There were eight men and four women in the vehicle, all Mexican nationals who ranged from 17 to 53 years old, according to reports from Benton County officials.

Osvaldo Cruz-Arellanes, 19, the driver, is expected to be prosecuted by Bob Balfe, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, said Temple Black, customs enforcement spokesman. Alien smuggling and human trafficking are among Immigration and Customs Enforcement's highest priorities, Black said.

The immigrants were released to federal custody Wednesday morning, according to Benton County Jail records. The 12 will be deported to Mexico unless something else is found during their processing, Black said.

The immigrants entered the United States near Douglas, Ariz., according to a news release from Benton County officials.

Cruz-Arellanes told Coggin at the traffic stop he was lost on his way to Memphis, Tenn., from Arizona to visit family. Coggin noticed several passengers lying on the floor, a few jugs of water and a notebook with a hand-drawn map on the van's console, according to reports.

Cruz-Arellanes gave Coggin the notebook when asked. Inside was a map and a list of names with cities and states detailed next to them, according to the sheriff's office report. Some of the cities included Chicago, and the states included Indiana, North Carolina, Missouri and Pennsylvania, the report said.

Cruz-Arellanes was asked to open the back of the van, where deputies found three people behind the seats. The individuals were wearing three pairs of pants each.

Deputies later found an atlas, a Western Union receipt, a hand-drawn map with directions through Arkansas, a San Lucas religious artifact, turnpike receipts, a bill of sale for the van dated April 16, a cell phone and a jug full of urine.

The driver later admitted to deputies he was paid to smuggle the illegal immigrants to specific locations across the country, Ferguson said.

Immigration officers responded to the traffic stop.

Cruz-Arellanes was cited for having no driver's license, according to a report. Information at the Benton County Jail did not detail that he received such a citation.

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