Police Arrest 9 Illegal Immigrants

POSTED: 12:24 pm MST March 29, 2009
UPDATED: 12:44 pm MST March 29, 2009


PHOENIX -- Surprise police stopped a pickup truck containing nine illegal immigrants on U.S. Route 60 and Patton Road on Thursday, authorities said.

The truck, driven by Antonio Perez-Rodriguez of Burlington, Wash., was stopped for a traffic violation, police said.

Police said when they approached the truck, they observed passengers inside and several other passengers lying across the bed portion.

The passengers told police officers they had paid Perez-Rodriguez to smuggle them to California and Oregon, police said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials took custody of the nine undocumented passengers.

Perez-Rodriguez was taken to Maricopa County Fourth Avenue Jail and booked on nine counts of human smuggling.

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