Phone Call from Florida Leads to Arizona Drop House

Updated: Wednesday, 04 May 2011, 6:24 PM MDT
Published : Wednesday, 04 May 2011, 6:24 PM MDT

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Police command vans and SWAT vehicles - not a sight people living in a Chandler neighborhood are used to seeing.

But that was the scene near Queen Creek and Gilbert Wednesday after a phone call from Florida led investigators to a drop house.

Inside the home, 10 male illegal immigrants from Guatemala and six human smuggling suspects were found.

"They were not bound or tortured, but they were not free to move about the house. The suspects were making phone calls to their loved ones and they were extorting additional monies from them for smuggling them into the United States," says DPS Capt. Fred Zumbo.

The smugglers were asking for $10,000 extra per person.

Overall, the hostages were well cared for, but officers found guns and knives inside the house.

The illegal immigrants will be turned over the ICE, while the smugglers face kidnapping and extortion charges.

DPS says they are also looking to track down the owner of the house, to see if they knew if their house was being used as a drop house.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/im ... e-05042011