The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department reports two human smuggling investigations have resulted in 15 arrests in one day. Detectives from the Human Smuggling Unit concluded the investigations in a near two hour window on May 16, 2013.
First, HSU detectives arrested 10 border violators who were traveling north of the Valley in a Toyota Sienna Van at approximately 12:20 p.m. At around 2:40 p.m., HSU detectives completed an investigation into a Nissan Quest by arresting 5 border violators in northern Maricopa County.
The human smuggling clients, all claiming to be Mexican nationals, were discovered to have paid between $2,500 and $4,000 to be illegally transported into the country. The suspects were going to Chicago, Michigan, New York, Delaware, and Kansas.
The fifteen suspects were booked into the 4th Avenue jail on class 4 felonies. In the last several weeks, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 71 suspects on human smuggling charges.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said, “Because the State Legislature has provided my office year after year with $1.5 million in funds to make arrests associated with human smuggling, we will continue to do so.”
