Police take immigrants, smugglers from drop house

by Nathan Gonzalez -
Jan. 3, 2010 12:45 PM
The Arizona Republic .

A phone call from a west Phoenix home Saturday afternoon tipped police to a suspected drop-house where 14 suspected illegal Guatemalan and Mexican immigrants were being held by five suspected smugglers.

The immigrants were held captive for nearly a week "in deplorable conditions" inside an outbuilding on the 5100 block of W. Encanto Blvd., said Robert Bailey, a Department of Public Safety spokesman.

"The victims also reported being held against their will at gunpoint and being pistol whipped by the coyotes," Bailey said in a news release.
Medical conditions of those rescued from the home were not immediately known, said Officer James Holmes, a Phoenix police spokesman. The victims, all of whom officials said paid $1,500 to $7,000 to be smuggled into the country, will likely be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials for deportation.

"These types of kidnappings are way down from over last eight or nine months," Holmes said. "There appears to be no particular area in the Valley that is safe from drop houses."

On Friday, the victims, comprised of men and women of various ages, attempted to call attention to the outbuilding they were held in by setting fire to the attic, according to DPS. However, the coyotes quickly moved the victims into the main residence before firefighters arrived.

About 5 p.m. the next day, a relative of the one of the captive immigrants called Phoenix police.

"The caller advised officers that her relatives, part of a total of 12 or more victims, were being held for ransom by at least three coyotes," Holmes said, adding that "the coyotes were demanding an additional $3,000 for their release."

Two of the suspected smugglers left the home shortly before police arrived and were stopped by police.

Officers then surrounded the home and called out to the occupants inside. In all, 14 victims and two coyotes came out, police said.

SWAT was called to ensure the home was empty, which it was.

The five suspected human smugglers, four men and one woman, were arrested and face charges of kidnapping, extortion, aggravated assault and human smuggling.

By Sunday, only Omar Gonzalez-Franco, 28, was identified as a suspect by Phoenix police. Other identities and information will likely be released Monday, Holmes said.

The investigation was conducted with the help of the Illegal Immigration Prevention & Apprehension Co-op Team (IIMPACT), which includes investigators from DPS, Phoenix police and ICE.

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