MCSO: Workers may have been tipped off about El Mirage raid

by Kyle Daly - Jun. 25, 2010 12:31 PM
The Arizona Republic

Workers at an El Mirage business that was being raided may have been tipped off by a phone call minutes before Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's deputies arrived, authorities said Friday.

Seven people were arrested during the raid at Parks and Sons Inc., a trash-collecting business near Grand Avenue and Main Street.

When the 45 deputies and Posse members arrived with search warrants about 5:45 a.m. Friday, they found the suspects inside dumpsters and hanging on barbed-wire fences before taking them into custody, the Sheriff's Office said.

No further information about the alleged call was available.

Two of the employees were arrested on suspicion of identity theft, four were suspected of living in the county illegally and one had an outstanding warrant. The ID-theft suspects might have used false IDs to gain employment, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The arrests came after a six-month investigation, which began after two anonymous employees contacted MCSO and reported possible illegal activity.

Deputies also served a search warrant at a Parks and Sons office building in Youngtown, where files were searched.

Includes information from The Associated Press

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