Phoenix PD arrest 6 in armed kidnapping case

PHOENIX Phoenix police have busted a group that could be responsible for recent violence aimed at immigrant smugglers and the abduction of the people they're smuggling.

Six men are in custody after a police surveillance operation late last night.

There has been a growing number of cases of what appear to be immigrant smugglers trying to hold up rival human traffickers so they can kidnap their customers and hold them for ransom.

Late last night, a police helicopter was following a pickup carrying four men when the pickup rammed another pickup, eventually forcing it to stop just off I-Ten in Tempe.

Before officers could arrive, police said the suspects kidnapped approximately 15 people at gunpoint and drove off.

The helicopter followed the suspects to a west Phoenix home, where SWAT officers entered the home. Several suspects were detained and 15 suspected illegal immigrants were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

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