21 arrests linked to suspected Tempe drophouse
Eugene Scott
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 6, 2007 03:12 PM

A tip about a Tempe drop house left on the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office illegal immigration hotline led to 21 arrests Thursday.

Acting on a tip, Sheriff's deputies stopped a 2007 white Dodge Durango for a traffic violation. The deputies found and arrested nine suspected illegal immigrants from the car.

The suspected smuggler, Jose Manuel Flores Rubio, was headed to Nevada from a home in the 1400 block of South Bonarden Lane, near Apache Boulevard and Rural Road.

Flores Rubio told police that more illegal immigrants were being kept at the Tempe home, according to the Sheriff's Office. Police went to the home and made 11 additional arrests.

The 21 suspects were arrested on suspicion of human smuggling and conspiracy to commit human smuggling.

Neighbors in the area said they had no idea that the home was a drop house.

Mercedes Ruiz has lived on the same block as the house for more than 30 years with her husband. She said she never noticed any weird activity.

"I stay up late and there isn't that much traffic. Once in a while you'll see a car or a truck, but I never realized anything like that was going on," she said. "We're totally surprised."

Ruiz said a family with three kids bought the house about eight years ago. She said she hasn't seen them since they remodeled the home.

"I don't know if they sold the house or not. Everyone pretty much keeps to themselves," she said.

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