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Unique Smuggling Scheme Hid Immigrants Under Car Hoods
KTLA ^ | February 3, 2012 | KTLA

Posted on 02/03/2012 8:27:03 PM PST by nickcarraway

Multi-agency effort yields indictment of five suspected human smugglers

Five Los Angeles-area residents have been indicted for operating a human smuggling scheme that in many cases involved specially-built compartments under the hoods of cars.

The operation relied largely on non-Spanish speaking African-Americans to transport loads of illegal aliens from the U.S.-Mexico border to the Los Angeles area.

Four of the defendants, including the suspected ringleader of the scheme, Maria "Reyna" Lopez-Diaz, 60, of Compton, were taken into custody Thursday morning by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Border Patrol.

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The indictment, handed down Jan. 18 and unsealed Thursday, accuses Lopez-Diaz of running a human smuggling transportation cell.

She allegedly coordinated with international smugglers to arrange for the pick-up of illegal aliens near the border.

Lopez-Diaz also allegedly purchased the smuggling vehicles and recruited the drivers, providing them with cars, cell phones and travel expenses.

The investigation revealed Lopez-Diaz specifically sought out financially disadvantaged U.S. citizens from south Los Angeles who did not speak Spanish, offering them $300 to $800 for every illegal alien they successfully transported.

According to investigators, the ring charged aliens anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000 to be smuggled from the border to Los Angeles.

The aliens were locked inside vehicle trunks or concealed in specially-built compartments under the hood or elsewhere.

During a one-year period from January 2010 through January 2011, it is estimated the organization was smuggling several dozen aliens a month into the Los Angeles area.

According to investigators, the ring's decision to primarily use non-Spanish speaking African-American drivers was a calculated attempt to try to reduce the risk of detection and prosecution.

In the event they were stopped by the Border Patrol, the drivers' inability to speak Spanish and communicate with the aliens they were transporting meant the drivers had limited information about the broader smuggling scheme.

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News
KEYWORDS: borderwars; culturewars; shadowwars; threatmatrix
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1 posted on 02/03/2012 8:27:15 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

My old 74 Vega had room for a person to curl up under the hood.


2 posted on 02/03/2012 8:31:25 PM PST by ElkGroveDan (My tagline is in the shop.)
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To: nickcarraway

>>>the drivers’ inability to speak Spanish and communicate<<<

You mean Eubonics isn’t the language of the third world?


3 posted on 02/03/2012 8:35:10 PM PST by Fightin Whitey
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To: nickcarraway

if America is so awful, why do people go to such great lengths to get here?


4 posted on 02/03/2012 8:35:47 PM PST by the invisib1e hand (religion + guns = liberty.)
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To: the invisib1e hand

By the time we get our boarder fence, it won’t be to keep them out, it will be to keep us in.


5 posted on 02/03/2012 8:43:04 PM PST by null and void (Day 1110 of America's ObamaVacation from reality [Heroes aren't made, Frank, they're cornered...])
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To: null and void

border. *sigh*


6 posted on 02/03/2012 8:43:50 PM PST by null and void (Day 1110 of America's ObamaVacation from reality [Heroes aren't made, Frank, they're cornered...])
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To: nickcarraway
The man being smuggled was wearing a hoodie.
7 posted on 02/03/2012 8:46:17 PM PST by dog breath
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To: nickcarraway
The man being smuggled was wearing a hoodie.
8 posted on 02/03/2012 8:46:36 PM PST by dog breath
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To: nickcarraway
The man being smuggled was wearing a hoodie.
9 posted on 02/03/2012 8:46:36 PM PST by dog breath
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To: nickcarraway

Good God Mexicans have no shame. They come here because they’ve turned their country into a cesspool, they hate America and Americans but demean and endanger themselves by doing s**t like this. For God sake why don’t they put this kind of energy into to fixing their damn country instead of running away from it?


10 posted on 02/03/2012 9:00:29 PM PST by jmacusa (Political correctness is cultural Marxism. I'm not a Marxist.)
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To: jmacusa

Good God Mexicans have no shame. They come here because they’ve turned their country into a cesspool, they hate America and Americans but demean and endanger themselves by doing s**t like this. For God sake why don’t they put this kind of energy into to fixing their damn country instead of running away from it?


Why not? Liberals do it on a state level. They trash the state (politically) and move on to the next one ignoring the fact that they are the reason the state they are leaving is THEM!

Then, in their new state. They start demanding the same crap.

Sadly. We are all out numbered. We all need to move to one state. take over, and leave the union.

It’s coming to that anyways.


11 posted on 02/03/2012 9:27:18 PM PST by cableguymn (Good thing I am a conservative. Otherwise I would have to support Mittens like Republicans do.)
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To: ElkGroveDan

All the Vegas were built that way. Many a hot rodder wedged V8’s under their bonnets. I could see the reverse, putting a little 4 banger under the hood of a land yacht. But the heat in there... augh. Surprised nobody got cooked.


12 posted on 02/03/2012 9:43:53 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Sometimes progressives find their scripture in the penumbra of sacred bathroom stall writings (Tzar))
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To: cableguymn

The ironic thing for Mexico, which has been encouraging these illegales-to-be to head north, is that at least those who hope to land a job in Coloso Del Norte are among the more capitalistically enterprising people born south of the border. So Mexico gets left with a concentration of socialist bums. In a way, Mexico is punishing itself by encouraging this.


13 posted on 02/03/2012 9:47:31 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Sometimes progressives find their scripture in the penumbra of sacred bathroom stall writings (Tzar))
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To: the invisib1e hand; nickcarraway
if America is so awful, why do people go to such great lengths to get here?

Put on your thinking cap and get out more.

It has nothing to do with being great, but more with national suicide, greed and profits regardless of consequences.

These people can make many times what they make in Mehico, even at near minimum wage, while our government gives them food stamps, welfare, in-state tuition, free medical care etc.

And there are thousands of greedy unscrupulous employers willing to hire their low wage illegal labor while forcing the tax payers to subsidize these illegal workers and their families.

You get the picture.

14 posted on 02/03/2012 10:54:38 PM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: afnamvet; TheOldLady; BuckeyeTexan; Glenn; Cheerio; fuzzthatwuz; Cap Huff; aragorn; HOYA97; ...
Sputter....


15 posted on 02/04/2012 12:01:50 AM PST by MestaMachine (obama kills)
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To: All
Mexico is financing the building of these illegal "voting blocs"---they know vote-crazed politicians will do anything to get votes. Mexico is salivating at the thought of getting billions in US foreign aid.

Wiki: The Mérida Initiative (also called Plan Mexico by critics) is a security cooperation agreement between the United States and the government of Mexico and the countries of Central America, with the declared aim of combating the threats of drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and money laundering. The assistance includes training, equipment and intelligence.

In seeking partnership with the United States, Mexican officials point out that the illicit drug trade is a shared problem in need of a shared solution, and remark that most of the financing for the Mexican traffickers comes from American drug consumers. U.S. law enforcement officials estimate that US$12 to 15 billion per year flows from the United States to the Mexican traffickers, and that is just in cash, i.e., not including the money sent by wire transfers.

The U.S. Congress passed legislation in late June 2008 to provide Mexico with $400 million and Central American countries with $65 million that year for the Mérida Initiative. The initiative was announced on 22 October 2007 and signed into law on June 30, 2008.

==========================================

THE "JUST HERE FOR A BETTER LIFE" SCAM "impoverished" illegals buy multiple fake identities for several thousand dollars each.

A family of four can have an income of $30,000 a year and still qualify for food stamps? A single mother, with two children who has a full time job that pays $7.25 an hour has an effective income of $48,000 a year when you add all the benefits she and her children receive from the government: food stamps, Medicaid coverage, subsidized child care, school lunch program, “Temporary” Assistance to Needy Families, subsidized housing, Earned Income Tax Credit, etc.

REFERENCE The Federal ID that Pays Illegal Aliens Billions -----November 28, 2011

......a recent analysis entitled, “Treasury Department Says Illegal Aliens Collection Billions in Tax Credits,” revealed that according to the Department of Treasury’s Inspector General, more than $4.2 billion in additional child credits were paid out in 2010 to illegal immigrants. In 2005, the pay outs totaled $924 million. This program allows low income earners to claim a $1,000 per child credit.

EITC claims---can run up to over $3000 per claim. $20 billion is estimated to have been paid out to these cunning "impoverished" illegals. Most of them are collecting over and over again-----using multiple identities-----falsifying apps---claiming children they do not have and/or falsely stating kids are back in their homelands.

16 posted on 02/04/2012 3:12:25 AM PST by Liz
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To: TADSLOS; Travis McGee; AuntB; Tennessee Nana; La Lydia; Clintonfatigued

ping


17 posted on 02/04/2012 3:15:10 AM PST by Liz
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To: dragnet2

Ok, I’ll put on my thinking cap. But if you don’t know a rhetorical question when you see one, I don’t there’s a cap that will help.


18 posted on 02/04/2012 8:22:54 AM PST by the invisib1e hand (religion + guns = liberty)
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To: the invisib1e hand
if America is so awful, why do people go to such great lengths to get here?

No, your question was not rhetorical, as it clearly suggested they are coming here due to the fact we are so bitchen and great.

The butt ugly facts is they come here not because this country is great, but they are able to gang rape the system, while the traitorous betrayers running this government aid and abet them, all on the backs of the tax payers, who for the most part, are on their knees.

19 posted on 02/04/2012 10:23:14 AM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: dragnet2
The butt ugly facts is they come here not because this country is great, but they are able to gang rape the system, while the traitorous betrayers running this government aid and abet them, all on the backs of the tax payers, who for the most part, are on their knees.

Truer words have not been spoken.

20 posted on 02/04/2012 10:45:14 AM PST by meyer (We will not sit down and shut up.)
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