Teen left on I-75 sparked patrols
An incident on the interstate in 2004, which involved a youth in the U.S. illegally, paved the way for a recent case.
By DUANE BOURNE, Times Staff Writer
Published May 25, 2005

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http://www.sptimes.com/2005/05/25/Herna ... _spa.shtml

Last year, a Mexican teenager was robbed at gunpoint and left to fend for himself on a barren stretch of Interstate 75 in Sumter County.

Federal authorities said the minor, who entered the United States illegally, had arranged to be smuggled into Central or South Florida, but he did not have enough money to reach his destination.

That prompted U.S. Customs and Border Protection to increase patrols along about 30 miles of interstate between north Pasco and southern Sumter counties, said Steven McDonald, the patrol agent in charge of the Tampa border patrol station.

"Basically, from what we know, (human trafficking) is a common occurrence," he said. "There are a number of active, organized smuggling rings bringing people from the Southwest border into the United States, including Florida."

Sixx says: REALLY?

Border patrol agents consider a number of factors before stopping vehicles they suspect are bringing in illegal immigrants, McDonald said.

While he would not disclose what agents look for, he acknowledged that on Tuesday a Dodge minivan stopped in Hernando County with one smuggling suspect and six other illegal immigrants displayed those suspicious signs.

Federal agents routinely patrol rural stretches of Interstate 75 north of Tampa looking for smugglers trafficking van loads of illegal immigrants from the Mexican border into Central and South Florida. The interstate is a highly traveled corridor between Florida and the southwest border with Mexico, said McDonald.

The landscape in areas north of Tampa provides the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents a better vantage point to safely observe nonlocal traffic than congested highways to the south, McDonald said.

Traffickers usually take Interstate 40, an east-west highway that starts in California and crosses eight states before ending in North Carolina. In Tennessee, the smugglers merge onto the southbound lanes of I-75 from I-40 and begin the 10-hour trek toward Florida.

About 8 a.m. Tuesday, a border patrol agent pulled over the minivan, which had been traveling south on Interstate 75, on State Road 50 and Kettering Road. Seven illegal immigrants from Mexico were aboard.

The driver and front passenger jumped out and ran but were later caught in woods north of Amelia Drive, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, which assisted in the search.

Officials think the minivan's driver, who was not identified, is involved in some sort of smuggling operation. He had previously been deported, McDonald said.

"It is difficult to say how big the ring is because there are diverse types of criminal enterprises involved in bringing people into the United States illegally," he said.

Sixx says: Diverse types of criminal enterprises. Diversity is pervisty, to quote Dr. Michael Savage.

The ringleaders could have hired a driver to collect the money. Other arrangements are far more complex, officials said. "It might just be someone who is trying to make a quick $3,000 to $4,000," McDonald said.

Officials suspect that another person might be behind the ring involved in the most recent smuggling case. That person has not been identified, but the incident has been turned over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Investigations, which will track further leads.

Meanwhile, the driver is being held on administrative charges and faces felony charges from the U.S. Attorney's Office. All the minivan occupants face deportation hearings.

Sixx says: IF they show up!!!