http://www.wrcbtv.com/news/index.cfm?sid=8865

"We're still in the early stages of who's a suspect and who's a victim," said Chattanooga Police Lt. Tim Carroll, "but they're all illegal aliens."

A kidnapping investigation which began in illinois leads Chattanooga Police and federal agents to a safe house on the east side of the Scenic City.

"They tracked suspects and victim to Marion County, Tennessee, yesterday," explained Lt. Carroll. "Well, today they tracked them to 1901 South Beech."

Inside, 10 to 12 illegals from Mexico and Guatemala. Carroll says people in the states employ "coyotes" to smuggle relatives across the border. but when they arrive, the price goes up. "They're extorting extra money," he said, "and when they don't get the money, they drive off with them until they get the money."

"This is a smaller part of a large operation," he added. "They're paying 25-hundred to 5-thousand dollars to smuggle loved ones in from Mexico and transport them all over the United States."

The investigation continues, aided by records found in the Beech Street house. An almost 30-page ledger found inside lists names and amounts paid and leads from Bensville, Illinois, through Chattanooga, on to Memphis and Arkansas with the home base being Mesa, Arizona.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents take custody of the men found on Thursday evening. "They're gonna be transported to Silverdale," said Lt. Carroll, "and probably deported back to their country of origin."

Reported by Greg Glover