http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/humansmuggling/ en-us Mon, 8 Jun 2009 03:48:51 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266954/posts SONOITA, Ariz. — Ten undocumented immigrants "stacked like wood" in the back of a sports utility vehicle crammed with at least 22 people were killed when the driver lost control and rolled over on a remote southern Arizona highway, authorities said Sunday. FOX NEWS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266954/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 03:48:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266955/posts Ten people "stacked like wood" in the back of a sports-utility vehicle were killed when the driver lost control on a remote southeastern Arizona highway, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety said Sunday.DPS Officer Joy Craig said at least 27 men and women were in the vehicle traveling on State Route 82 about four miles east of Sonoita when the vehicle rolled for an unknown reason shortly before midnight Saturday.Most of the vehicle's passengers were ejected.Authorities said all the victims are believed to be illegal immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Equador and perhaps Mexico."There was no... KVOA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266955/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 03:49:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266854/posts <p>SONOITA, Ariz. — Ten undocumented immigrants "stacked like wood" in the back of a sports utility vehicle crammed with at least 22 people were killed when the driver lost control and rolled over on a remote southern Arizona highway, authorities said Sunday.</p> Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266854/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 00:29:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2236096/posts No civilized sane human would support slavery so how does trafficking in humans for sex continue worldwide? The practice is growing, but hundreds declared in Tulsa Friday that they will stand in opposition. They will contribute time and money to raise awareness and save victims. They will engage to stop this hidden smuggling that goes on in every one of the 50 states in America. Tulsa Today http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2236096/posts#comment Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:08:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2234630/posts The owner of the Los Angeles-based Numero Uno supermarket chain was convicted today of participating in a racketeering enterprise that was involved in a host of illegal activities, including solicitation of murder, bribery of a public official, harboring illegal aliens and tax violations. George Torres, 52, an Arcadia resident who has been in custody since he was arrested after being indicted two years ago, was found guilty of 55 felony counts, including racketeering, “honest services” mail fraud and wire fraud, conspiring to harbor illegal aliens, and a host of tax charges. The jury determined that Torres solicited the February 1994... Department of Justice http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2234630/posts#comment Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:25:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2229836/posts An alleged abduction in southwest Houston earlier this week appears to be part of human smuggling operation that was thwarted when the victim jumped from his kidnappers' car on a freeway near downtown. Six men, including the victim and his relatives as well as three suspects, were arrested following a brief police chase. No injuries were reported. Federal immigration authorities said the men were in the country illegally and were involved in a human trafficking plot. However, officials declined to discuss details of the case because the investigation is ongoing. The names of the men have not been released. "It's... Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2229836/posts#comment Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:12:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2224721/posts Women and girls as young as 16 were smuggled into this country from Mexico and brought to Charlotte to work as prostitutes. For $25 and $30, authorities said, they performed sex acts – sometimes with 20 men a day. Jorge Flores Rojas, a 44-year- old undocumented Mexican national accused of running the sex trafficking ring, has been sentenced in Charlotte to 24 years in prison, authorities said Tuesday. He was ordered to pay $117,000 in restitution to one woman. He also must register as a sex offender. Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Ryan said Tuesday that prostitution rings like the one... charlotteobserver.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2224721/posts#comment Wed, 8 Apr 2009 11:12:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223047/posts Palermo, 3 April (AKI) SNIPPET: "Over 36,000 boat people arrived on the southern Italian coast last year - a 75 per cent increase over the number of arrivals in 2007 - according to the Italian government and the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR)." ADNKRONOS.com (AKI) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223047/posts#comment Mon, 6 Apr 2009 02:46:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2211984/posts A woman was allegedly kidnapped as part of a suspected human smuggling operation in Tustin on Saturday evening, police said. The 32-year-old woman's alleged abduction is believed by police to be in response to a dispute over payment for human smuggling. Officers are not yet sure what country the alleged victim came from, but said it might be Guatemala. Orange County Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2211984/posts#comment Sun, 22 Mar 2009 13:55:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2209975/posts A Sullivan City man accused of smuggling three Iraqis into the United States was set to appear for a detention hearing Thursday. Prosecutors allege Juan De Dios Martinez Vela, 28, sneaked the men across the Rio Grande as part of a smuggling network with links to the Middle East. JPost http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2209975/posts#comment Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:07:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2203136/posts The leader of the Three Franciscos, a ring accused of transporting more than 9,000 illegal immigrants through Los Angeles and around the country, was sentenced to six years in federal prison Monday. Federal officials called the organization the most prolific of its kind ever uncovered in Los Angeles, collecting fees as high as $3,700 from relatives of immigrants who were packed into cramped vans and safe houses. "We estimated they were moving about 100 a week," said Jennifer Silliman, deputy special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles. The group was known as the Three... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2203136/posts#comment Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:03:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195860/posts PHOENIX -- A raid at a suspected Avondale drop house Thursday night resulted in the rescue of more than two dozen hostages, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. A SWAT team raided the house on Joblanca Street at 6:30 p.m. after receiving a call from a Tennessee resident concerned that a family member was being held captive in a home, deputies said. Inside, deputies found 30 suspected illegal immigrants, among them 25 hostages who were being held for ransom, the sheriff's office said. According to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the hostages were held from 3-24 days and had... KPHO News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195860/posts#comment Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:17:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193347/posts Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0902/090224losangeles.htm February 24, 2009 Former LAX elevator mechanic sentenced to 3 years for human smuggling LOS ANGELES - An elevator mechanic formerly employed by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for smuggling foreign nationals into the United States by bypassing established security at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Roberto Amaya Canchola, 54, was sentenced yesterday as part of a plea agreement in which he admitted earning $1,800 for each illegal alien he ushered into airport elevators and escorted to taxis outside the terminal. Canchola was... ICE.gov - News Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193347/posts#comment Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:04:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2175265/posts NATIONAL GANG THREAT SUMMARY Gangs pose a serious threat to public safety in many communities throughout the United States. Gang members are increasingly migrating from urban to suburban areas and are responsible for a growing per- centage of crime and violence in many communities. Much gang-related criminal activity involves drug trafficking; however, gang members are increasingly engaging in alien and weapons trafficking. Additionally, a rising number of U.S.-based gangs are seemingly intent on developing working relationships with U.S.- and foreign-based drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and other criminal organizations to gain direct access to foreign sources of illicit drugs. FBI.gov - NATIONAL GANG INTELLIGENCE CENTER http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2175265/posts#comment Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:17:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2153498/posts It was just reported on the show KFI Los Angeles that George W. Bush has pardoned an individual named John Allen Aregood of Riviera, Texas, who was apparently convicted of conspiracy to harbor and transport illegal aliens. KFI Los Angeles AM640 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2153498/posts#comment Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:14:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2142398/posts EDINBURG — Mario Olivares Cifuentes thought he understood the risks of illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Tales of migrants drowning in the Rio Grande or succumbing to the oppressive South Texas sun spread frequently among those hoping to make the trek. But for Olivares, a Guatemalan migrant, the real danger emerged only after passing those natural perils. For almost a day, he and 20 of his countrymen were allegedly kidnapped, tortured, raped and held for ransom in a stash house east of Edinburg before federal agents rescued them last week. Their purported tormentors — a group of Mexican nationals believed... The Monitor http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2142398/posts#comment Wed, 3 Dec 2008 23:24:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134242/posts McALLEN, Texas — Four illegal immigrants were found in the back of a Wal-Mart truck, and the driver and two alleged accomplices were accused of trying to smuggle them through a Border Patrol checkpoint. Authorities acting on a tip arrested driver Alejandro Hernandez and two other suspects Thursday just south of a checkpoint at Falfurrias, authorities said. The four Mexican nationals in the trailer were also taken into custody. Documents filed in federal court Monday allege that Hernandez, 50, unloaded a delivery at a Wal-Mart in McAllen, then stopped at a truck stop in nearby Edinburg where he picked up... Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134242/posts#comment Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:05:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085319/posts WASHINGTON — Florida Rep. Allen Boyd's son was arrested in Arizona Sunday and charged with human smuggling after K-9 dogs allegedly sniffed out individuals hiding in the bed of his truck. John F. Boyd attempted to drive through a Border Patrol security check in Willcox, court documents revealed, according to KVOA-TV in Phoenix. Five illegal aliens, including a 6-year-old girl, were found in the truck. The criminal complaint obtained by KVOA states, "At the primary inspection area, a Border Patrol K-9 alerted to the possible presence of illegal aliens in the bed of the truck. A primary inspection agent approached... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085319/posts#comment Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:53:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2083975/posts TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The son of U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd is facing alien smuggling charges in Arizona. The Democratic congressman, who is seeking a seventh term this November, said Tuesday that his 30-year-old son, John Boyd, was arrested Sunday on the human trafficking charges. In a statement from his office, Congressman Boyd said his son is a grown man and must face the consequences for his actions but has the support of the family. Boyd is being challenged by Panama City Republican Mark Mulligan in the Nov. 4 general election. WFTV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2083975/posts#comment Wed, 17 Sep 2008 02:01:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051454/posts SAN DIEGO – Forty-nine people being smuggled into the United States were found Friday morning packed inside the metal tank of a water truck a Border Patrol agent noticed near the notorious Smuggler's Gulch. The truck was coming out of a construction area, its driver apparently trying to blend in, when the agent saw it didn't have a license plate, said Border Patrol Agent Jason Rodgers, a spokesman for the agency. Rodgers said the agent followed the truck from Monument Road and Hollister Road in an under-the-speed-limit pursuit that ended not far away with the arrest of the driver and... San Diego Union Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051454/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:58:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043255/posts SAN DIEGO – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are trying to reach out to human smuggling victims through advertisements featured in major cities, including San Diego. Advertisements posted on billboards and transit shelters with the slogan, “Hidden in Plain Sight” were put on display in June around San Diego county. The goal is to educate the public about the existence of human trafficking in the country and urge them to report such crimes, officials said. “These victims are domestic servants, sweat shop employees, sex workers and others lured here by the promise of prosperity, then forced to work without... San Diego Union - Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043255/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:03:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040000/posts MISSION -- Police busted a stash house Tuesday after a Honduran woman said she was sexually assaulted there. Officers raided the house -- at 2113 Sierra Court, near Mission Veterans Memorial High School on Mile 2 North and N. Mayberry Ave. -- about 11:25 a.m. Police had found the woman wandering along a nearby road in the wee hours earlier that morning. Police pulled over to see if she was OK and she told them she had been sexually assaulted at the brick house, Mission police spokesman Lt. Martin Garza said. The house likely sheltered illegal immigrants traveling north, he... The Monitor http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040000/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 00:07:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026309/posts CALEXICO — Two street gangs vying for control of a human-smuggling operation here has resulted in two shootings in a dense neighborhood near the border fence, police said. A man is recovering from a bullet wound after being shot by masked gunmen. Two other men are in Imperial County jail for their suspected involvement of an attempt to murder a rival. “We be-lieve it involves illegal alien smuggling and their attempts to cut into each other’s area and operations,” Calexico police Sgt. Gonzalo Gerardo said. Human smuggling in Calexico is lucrative: smugglers could receive as much as $1,500 per head... Imperial Valley Press Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026309/posts#comment Thu, 5 Jun 2008 05:42:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019706/posts A Kennesaw pastor was sentenced to nine years in prison Tuesday for her part in a profitable multi-state scheme to encourage illegal immigrants to file untruthful visa applications. The Rev. Emma Gerald, 56, was convicted in December of helping mostly Brazilian immigrants in Cobb County, Florida and other states file applications for temporary residency, work permits, and travel permits. "I'd like to apologize to the United States," Gerald said at her sentencing hearing Tuesday in Atlanta at the U.S. Federal District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Gerald said she "didn't think it was wrong," when she charged illegal... Atlanta Journal Constitution http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019706/posts#comment Thu, 22 May 2008 14:59:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019428/posts An illegal immigrant pleads guilty to driving other illegal immigrants across the country for money. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Pedro Antonio Antonio Mateo admitted to the crime in Roanoke Federal Court today (Wednesday, May 21st). 10 On Your Side’s Scott Leamon first uncovered the case, after a State Police Trooper pulled Mateo over on I-81 in Botetourt Co. back in April.  Investigators say Mateo was driving a large SUV on I-81 northbound, past Troutville. Officers with the state police criminal interdiction team stopped the SUV, after an alleged traffic violation on April 11th. Federal court records show agents from... WSLS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019428/posts#comment Wed, 21 May 2008 23:57:31 GMT