m
Posted on 01/12/2008 4:31:55 AM PST by radar101
PHOENIX — A woman leaving an eyeglass store is grabbed in the parking lot by four men who force her, kicking and screaming, into a pickup truck. The kidnappers demand a $900,000 ransom.
But police soon realize her family is holding something back and isn't fully cooperating with them. Later, investigators find out that relatives have arranged the woman's release on their own. And they discover that members of the family are heavy into marijuana trafficking.
The case illustrates how a terrifyingly common crime in Latin America has moved across the border into the United States: Criminals and their family members are being kidnapped by fellow criminals and held for six-figure ransoms.
The abductions are occurring in the Phoenix area at the rate of practically one per day, and police suspect they have led to killings in which bound and bullet-riddled bodies have been found dumped in the desert.
The kidnap victims are typically drug or immigrant smugglers, who are seen as inviting targets because they have a lot of money, they can raise large sums of cash on short notice, and they are unlikely to go to the police for fear that their own shady dealings will come to light. "We have never had a victim that we have investigated that has been as clean as the new driven snow," said Sgt. Phil Roberts, who investigates the kidnappings. "There has always been some type of criminal element to it. Either they are criminals, drug dealers or human smugglers — or a close family member is."
The kidnappers themselves are fellow traffickers who are doing it for the money or to punish their rivals. Phoenix had more than 340 such kidnappings reported last year, but police said the real number is much higher because many cases go unreported.
The San Diego area also has seen a rise in kidnappings over the past year, with two or three reported during busy weeks, and some victims were mixed up in drug smuggling. But the hostage-taking appears to be most prevalent in Phoenix, the nation's biggest base of operations for immigrant smugglers.
Kidnappings are common in Mexico, and the victims often include criminals as well as legitimate businessmen, such as bankers. Phoenix police said they believe the kidnappers here are not going after legitimate businessmen for fear that their families will go to the police.
The kidnappings first came to light in Phoenix three years ago but are rising as overall violence associated with immigrant smuggling intensifies in Arizona. Immigrant smuggling is a lucrative line of work: A ring that moves a load of 30 illegal entrants through Arizona can gross $45,000 to $75,000.
And smugglers can quickly get their hands on large sums of money — sometimes in the middle of the night. In one case, someone who turned to authorities about a kidnapping brought more than $300,000 in ransom money to the Police Department in cereal boxes.
Many of the abductions begin in "drop houses" — homes where immigrant smugglers hold customers until they pay up. Typically, the kidnappers storm drop houses or relatives' homes at gunpoint, smack the victims around, tie them up and speed off to a hiding place.
Hostages are often tortured as the kidnappers try to force families to meet their demands. A victim's finger might be cut off. A man might get a phone call in which he is forced to listen to his wife getting raped. The families often go to the police only as a last resort. Even then, people may later cut investigators out of the picture. Sometimes hostages are found dead in the desert, often with gunshot wounds to the head and torso, their hands bound behind them.
"It's usually because they don't get paid. These people are ruthless, serious criminals," said police spokesman Sgt. Joel Tranter.
Police know few details of the release of the 44-year-old woman kidnapped outside the eyeglass store in Phoenix in May.
Initially, the woman's husband told police that he didn't know why his wife was seized and that his family wasn't involved in anything illegal.
Eventually, investigators learned the family's produce and meat-processing business had been investigated in 2003 as a possible drug-trafficking front.
Confronted with that information, the husband said that two sons had about 150 pounds of marijuana stolen from them and that they owed money to the people who sold them the drugs. They eventually made good on their debt, but the sellers were demanding an additional $50,000.
The Police Department said it does not pursue drug or immigration charges against witnesses or victims in kidnapping cases because investigators need their cooperation.
Police said nearly all cases in which families cooperated fully have resulted in the safe return of the victims, usually after a SWAT team knocked down doors to rescue the kidnapped.
In other cases, police learn of the kidnappings only after neighbors call about suspicious activity. In one case, a motorist waiting at a red light saw a man with plastic ties on his feet and hands roll out of the trunk of a vehicle.
dontja just love that
smell of ol’ mexico?
shoot on sight until none are left in sight
m
Coming to Anywhere, USA in 2008!
I wonder how many Americans could just walk down the streets of Tehran without at least being stopped and grilled?. Or establish an American neighborhood in Saudi Arabia. (we'd like to build a church on Achmed street ... it's our culture)
France has do not enter zones and there are too many places in my own United States that I would not go in the daytime ... let alone the night.
Assimilation is taking place allright, we are the ones being assimilated into the corrupt lawless culture that exist right across the border.
“Press 1 for English.” “Press 2 to import large quantities of drugs and send Border patrol agents to prison.” “Press 3 to kidnap Americans and hold them for Ransom.”
Jorge the Mexican says these are just cross border family values.
The beauty of diversity coming to your city. All cultures are equal, doncha know.
“shoot on sight until none are left in sight”
Sounds like a workable plan.
Assimilation is taking place allright, we are the ones being assimilated into the corrupt lawless culture that exist right across the border.
“Press 1 for English.” “Press 2 to import large quantities of drugs and send Border patrol agents to prison.” “Press 3 to kidnap Americans and hold them for Ransom.”
(However besides the kidnapping thingy, I'm suuuuuuure they're (cough) "Hard Working People")
Horrible, horrible type crimes that these illegal immigrants/traffickers/smugglers are enduring and/or bringing to our country. HOWEVER, these are probably the same illegals whose children get free health care, lunches, pay no taxes, and live off the US taxpayer while they and their illegal immigrant friends store their thousands of dollars in cereal boxes.
I am not saying it is a fitting punishment - the crimes are despicable and chilling. But, who wants these people in our country who are so tied to a life of crime and a lifestyle of violence that our laws have no meaning to them? Some moan that as a country we should have sympathy to the sufferings and needs of illegal immigrants and their families. That we should give them shelter, jobs, food, medical care, the whole " entitlement" package. While all along these very people have no intention of becoming disciplined, law-abiding, productive, legal citizens here. It is not their way.
They have grown up in the criminal culture of Latin American civilizations where kidnapping, killing, torturing, smuggling, lying is "status quo," They come here illegally simply to do the same and grab hoards of cash in illegal ways. They bring no admirable desires to be participating, contributing members of our society. While what they do bring to our country is the crime and chaos of their lives and to hide in our communities where they avoid the system and continue their gang-like penchant for violence and retribution.
The war on terror should not just be applied to the Middle East terrorists, but equally to fight and STOP the entry of these criminal elements/illegal immigrants who are sapping our services and in our midst already - and costing us millions of dollars and fear.
More Americans killed by illegal aliens than Iraq war, study says
When you start digging into the numbers the only ones that can be sourced with the feds are the number of American murdered in 2005: 16692
I have seen federal numbers for illegals held in jail ranging from 19.3% to 27% of the federal prison population.
Here's a sampling of USA cities wanted for murder. What you'll see is that in big USA cities like LA or NYC most of the murderers are Hispanic. Unknown are the % of illegals. In smaller cities the FBI will post the nationalities of the murderers. About 25% of the most wanted are illegals wanted for murder. This number agrees with the percentage of illegals incarcerated in federal prisons. +-25%Pictures of top 10 most wanted in LA. Up until recent stories about crime in LA posted by the LA Times--the pictures included the nationality of the murderers. They were all foreign nationals and mostly Mexican.
Wanted for Murder in New York City.
Chicago wanted for Murder
Philadelphia wanted for murder
San Francisco wanted for Murder
New Orleans wanted for Murder
Pictures of suspects wanted for murder in Washington DC
FBI USA 10 most wanted. (two of 10 are Mexican nationals)
Part of the reason for the silence on the matter is that there is evidence to suggest that most Americans being killed by illegals are black--as is the suggestion in this LA Times Article. Also this article from the LA Times.
To look at other USA cities go here http://stlouis.fbi.gov/ and replace stlouis with the city you want.
All that said the true number of criminal aliens is far higher than is revealed by criminal aliens in prisons. Most are simply waived through the courts.DHS Secretary Chertoff, has been quoted as warning that two million people in this country illegally have committed serious crimes. See also here and here
bump for later
Doing the jobs Americans won't do. How dare we continue to call these people "illegal" for the crime of coming to this country in search of a job?
</sarcasm>
Relax. He and Fat Teddy Kennedy won't be concerned until it's one of their own affected by criminals they've let into the country, and then Teddy will, as usual, be too stoned to even give a rat's rear end.
In Teddy’s case, a lost relative would just mean more scotch for him.
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