Thread: Raleigh police say van transporting illegal immingrant

From Staff Reports
Raleigh police this morning stopped a van they say was transporting illegal immigrants to various places on the East Coast.
Police stopped the van after receiving a report at 4:40 a.m. of a kidnapping near Interstate 440 and Capital Boulevard. When police caught up with the vehicle at I-40 and Aviation Parkway, they found four illegal immigrants who were being transported by a driver and his assistant, said Capt. Chris Bertram.

The family of one of the immigrants had reported the kidnapping, Bertram said. They had called police because the driver and his assistant had refused to let him out of the van when the family couldn't come up with money to pay for his transportation.

Officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement took custody of all the van's occupants, Bertram said.

One of the two transporting the immigrants had previously been deported as a felon, he said. He was identified as Edgar lagunas OCampo, though the name may be an alias, Bertram said.

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http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/612115.html

I'm surprised they didn't let them all go on there merry way, only arresting the supposed kidnapper. If every illegal alien was deported, that was stopped in a traffic stop, or any other reason, even just in investigating another crime, there would me thousands a day deported. Most the time, their being here illegal is ignored, and they ARE let go on their merry way.


Sennod

Four Aliens Found In Van, One Arrested

From Raleigh Chronicle Staff & Wire Reports
Friday June 22, 2007

RALEIGH - According to the Raleigh Police Department, after a call to police that a kidnapping had occurred, officers pulled over a van that was found to be carrying four aliens and later arrested at least one person in the vehicle.

Captain Chris Bertram of the Raleigh Police Department said that at 4:40am on Thursday, they received a call reporting a kidnapping involving a van that occurred at Interstate 440 and Capital Boulevard. He added that the call came from the relatives of the alleged victim of the kidnapping.

The van was eventually located at the intersection of Interstate 40 and Aviation Parkway, said Captain Bertram. Although some media outlets reported there was a chase, Bertram said the van pulled over as soon as the police cars turned their blue lights on.

"Once the emergency equipment was activated, the vehicle stopped," he said. "There was no chase."

Bertram added that at the scene, Raleigh Police were assisted by the Wake County Sheriff's Department, the Cary Police, and the Morrisville Police Department.

Police said that all of the occupants of the van were eventually taken to the Raleigh Police in downtown where they were questioned. After questioning, police said that they found out that the drivers of the van were being paid to bring up immigrants to the area.

"It was determined that two occupants of the vehicle were transporting illegal aliens to various locations on the East Coast," said Captain Bertram.

Bertram said that the kidnapping report occurred at Capital Boulevard when the family members of the reported victim did not have the money that they were supposed to provide for his transport to the area. As a result of nonpayment, Bertram says that the driver and his assistant would not let him out of the vehicle.

In total, police say there were four illegal aliens in the van and that they were turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

According to police, one of the transporters, Edgar Lagunas O'Campo was identified by customs officials as having been previously deported from the country as a felon and he was held on charges related to that. Police say that O'Campo may have been using an alias and are not sure if that is his real name or not. ::

http://www.raleighchronicle.com/2007062108.html