Suspected gang member nabbed at drop house
Posted: Jul 08, 2011 2:01 PM EDT Updated: Jul 08, 2011 7:37 PM EDT
By Phil Benson

AVONDALE, AZ -

Tips led DPS officers to serve a search warrant at an Avondale drop house where they found 21 illegal immigrants. A suspected human smuggler plus a suspected gang member were arrested.

Detectives with the multi-agency Illegal Immigration Apprehension Co-op Team (IIMPACT) said they found 13 men, six women, two juveniles and 24-year-old Mario Lopez-Ramirez, from Honduras, who is believed to be a member of the violent MS 13 gang, DPS task force members said.



The MS 13 gang was implicated in at least three homicides. Lopez-Ramirez, who ran from officers as they entered the suspected drop house, is believed to have been the shooter in an attempted homicide in Washington, D.C. in December of 2009, DPS said.

Authorities say the immigrants detained in Friday's incident are from Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico. They are believed to have illegally entered the country in the past few days.

DPS officials say the suspected human smuggler is a Mexican citizen and is being booked into a Phoenix jail. His name hasn't been released.

Officers said they recovered at least two firearms from the Avondale home.

The home had been vacant since May, according to DPS Officer Bob Bailey. Bailey said there were no utilities on in the home, but the occupants managed to get some running water.

http://www.kpho.com/story/15048929/susp ... drop-house