An investigation by Maricopa County Human Smuggling Unit detectives has led to the arrest of 15 border violators from Guatemala and Mexico after the Dodge Caravan they were traveling in was detained on May 22, 2013. It was learned that the suspects were heading for Tennessee and North Carolina. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has now made 93 human smuggling arrests in the past six weeks.
The Human Smuggling Unit’s investigation revealed that the suspects had paid up to $4,500 to be illegally transported into the United States and had crossed into Arizona near Alter and Mexicali before being located in Northern Maricopa County.
“These illegal human smuggling syndicates are using Arizona as a superhighway to carry their paying clients to all parts of the country,” said Sheriff Arpaio. “We have been very successful in stopping them as evidenced with the number of arrests we have been making.”
A total of seven suspects were booked into the 4th Avenue Jail on class 4 felony charges related to human smuggling. The remaining eight suspects, including two unaccompanied juveniles from Guatemala, were turned over to Immigration and Custom Enforcement Agents