Thread: LAX Mechanic Charged with Immigrant Smuggling

LAX mechanic charged with immigrant smuggling
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 09/12/2008 04:00:23 PM PDT


LOS ANGELES—An elevator mechanic at Los Angeles International Airport has been charged with smuggling illegal immigrants into the country by helping them evade federal inspectors and ushering them into taxis outside a terminal.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice says 53-year-old Roberto Amaya Canchola was indicted by a federal grand jury Friday on three counts of making money off immigrant smuggling and three counts of helping passengers skirt immigration officers.

Canchola was arrested last month by federal immigration agents in a sting operation. Agents say they believe Canchola was using his airport security clearance to escort Mexicana Airlines passengers out of the terminal without being inspected by authorities.

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_10449214

LAX mechanic charged with immigrant smuggling
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 09/12/2008 07:46:26 PM PDT


LOS ANGELES—An elevator mechanic at Los Angeles International Airport was charged Friday with smuggling illegal immigrants into the country by helping them evade federal inspectors and ushering them into taxis outside a terminal.
Roberto Amaya Canchola, 53, was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of making money off immigrant smuggling and three counts of helping passengers skirt immigration officers, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Canchola was arrested last month by federal immigration agents in a sting operation after officials noticed several passengers on the same Mexicana Airlines flight from Guanajuato state each week did not appear to be passing through customs or immigration screenings.

Immigration agents say they believe Canchola was using his airport security clearance to escort passengers out of the terminal without being inspected by authorities. The passengers had boarded the plane in Mexico with fake documents, according to ICE.

An attempt to reach Canchola, a North Hills resident, was not successful.

Robert Schoch, special agent in charge for ICE's office of investigations in Los Angeles, said agents have been working with airport officials since the probe began to tighten security at the international terminal.

He also said the investigation into the smuggling network was ongoing.

"It is a tremendous vulnerability if you think about criminals to the worst extent, terrorists, anybody who could be brought in surreptitiously into this country. So we acted very decisively," Schoch said.
Canchola is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 22.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10450980