MCSO: Smugglers avoiding Maricopa County

Posted: Jul 13, 2011 2:22 PM PDT Updated: Jul 13, 2011 2:41 PM PDT

By Phil Benson

PHOENIX (KPHO) -
Human and drug smugglers are increasingly avoiding passing through Maricopa County with their illegal cargoes, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says.

Arpaio says intelligence sources tell him the smugglers are choosing to use alternate routes through Arizona after crossing the border in order to avoid detection by MCSO's human smuggling unit.

The sheriff says smugglers are using more evasive techniques to avoid capture, sometimes abandoning their drugs or human loads to escape.

On Tuesday in the North Valley, the human smuggling unit arrested ten illegal immigrants who had agreed to pay between $1,800 and $3,500 for entry into the U.S. Their final destinations included California and North Carolina.

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http://www.kpho.com/story/15077419/mcso-human-s