Prosecutors try new approach in smuggling case
by Sean Holstege - Sept. 20, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Federal prosecutors in Phoenix are applying a law written to curb armed bank robbers to seek a stiffer sentence for a man accused of using a gun to steal a group of illegal immigrants from a coyote.

It's the first time the U.S. Attorney's Office has tried the technique in Arizona, which could result in consecutive sentences of up to 20 years, plus seven years to life. A typical human-smuggling charge would carry a maximum 10-year sentence.

The case is yet another indicator of how violent smuggling is spreading north from the border. Smuggling rings have learned that there are profits to be made by stealing from each other.

Mexican citizen Adriel Laurel-Vasquez stands accused of five counts. Federal prosecutors charged him with using threats, violence and robbery to interfere with commerce.

It's a novel way to tack on stiffer charges, which were written into the Hobbs Act to prosecute bank robbers, U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Sandy Raynor said. Laurel-Vasquez also faces conventional charges involved in transporting illegal immigrants.

According to a grand-jury indictment, Laurel-Vasquez on Aug. 20 pulled a gun on a coyote near Sacaton, which is about halfway between Chandler and Casa Grande. He tied up the coyote and loaded 17 illegal immigrants into a Suburban, the indictment said.

The group had crossed the border near Sasabe, walked three days through the Tohono O'odham Reservation and waited two days for transport to Phoenix, according to a sworn statement by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. According to the agent, Laurel-Vasquez admitted to kidnapping the group but claimed it was the idea of a conspirator known only as "Arturo."

The coyote, Manuel Hernandez-Rodriguez, told the agent that the pair of assailants demanded money from the entire group and threatened to ransom the illegal immigrants for $200 each and Hernandez-Rodriguez for $10,000, according the agent's affidavit.

Laurel-Vasquez is set for arraignment on Wednesday.
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