6 Men Detained at Stash House Identified

Update in shootout near Pinal County rest stop

Updated: Monday, 18 Apr 2011, 3:48 PM MDT
Published : Monday, 18 Apr 2011, 3:48 PM MDT

STANFIELD, Ariz. - Six men detained last week at a Stanfield stash house are being identified as illegal immigrants from Mexico who were carrying backpack loads of marijuana into the country.

Luis Grajada-Carillo (age 33 of Mexico), Edgar Soto-Lopez (age 30 of Mexico), Jesus Antonio Sanchez (age 35 of Mexico), Jose Moroyoqui-Jocobi (age 28 of Mexico), Arturo Mange (age 21 of Mexico) and Raul Servin-Madro (age 22 of Mexico) are all facing charges of transporting marijuana for sale. They are currently being held at the Pinal County Adult Detention Center.

All six initially denied having any involvement in Thursday morning's shootout, according to PCSO. But through evidence and admissions, detectives discovered they had each been carrying marijuana when they were approached by 3 or 4 assailants who ordered them to drop their loads.

The wounded man also admitted he was traveling with 14 other illegal immigrants from Mexico when a rip-off crew attacked.

The group's guide and the rip crew then traded gunfire, resulting in one man's death and another's serious injury.

The 7th victim/suspect who was shot in the abdomen is not cooperating with Pinal County detectives. He has not been identified and is giving conflicting statements, PCSO says. They do not know yet whether he is a member of the rip-off crew or the original group of smugglers. He will be booked into jail once he finishes getting treated for his gunshot wound.

As for the deceased victim, PCSO believes he was the guide for the marijuana smugglers. He was involved in the shootout and fired a .45-caliber handgun before he was fatally wounded. That man is in his 30s.

Last Thursday, a shooting call just south of I-8 near Antelope Peak resulted in an all-day manhunt. The Pinal County Sheriff's Office says that shooting involved drug smugglers who were ambushed by a rip off crew, which is a rival group of drug smugglers that wait for drug carriers to cross the border, steal their load, then cash in and keep the profits for themselves.

Deputies spent all day looking for the marijuana and the remaining illegal immigrants. The marijuana was never located -- it is believed it was picked up by a vehicle along I-8 and taken to an unknown destination.

None of the other rip crew members or drug smugglers were located despite a thorough search of a 25-square-mile area.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/im ... -4-18-2011