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How police in Southern Arizona are combatting car thefts

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How police in Southern Arizona are combatting car thefts


YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — The Yuma Police Department is combating car theft this holiday season and helping to inform drivers about how to stay protected.

They say simple measures can prevent your car from being trafficked into Mexico. They say this ongoing trend affects car owners across Arizona.

“Being so close to the border, sometimes by the time the vehicle owner recognizes their car is gone it’s too late,” said Yuma Police Det. Ernesto Prieto.

Prieto is assigned to the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s vehicle theft task force, helping track down stolen cars in southern Arizona.

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This year, he’s worked on 170 stolen car cases, and they’re not all from the Yuma area.

“The group of people will bring the car down from Phoenix. Another group of people here in the area will get a hold of the vehicle, swap out the plates and go down south,” said Prieto.

In a recent case, San Luis Police recovered two stolen vehicles from the Scottsdale area.

A RAM truck and Jeep Wrangler were reported stolen and were found hundreds of miles away in a Walmart parking lot in San Luis, just blocks from the border.

San Luis Police say they recently discovered two cars stolen out of Scottsdale at a Walmart parking lot near the U.S.-Mexico border.(Arizona’s Family)

Prieto said these cars are often taken to Mexico, where they’re sold, which makes it impossible to recover them once they’ve crossed into Mexico.

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“There are cases where we have the vehicle roaming around town and we do make an arrest on the case,” said Prieto.

Prieto said he often works on these cases with the San Luis Police Department, which recently installed a camera system to help locate these cars.

“We recently installed Fleet 3 Axon systems in most of our police fleet. It’s a camera system that serves as an automated license plate reader that will detect stolen vehicles,” said San Luis Lt. Emmanuel Botello.

Yuma police distributed about 200 steering wheel locks on Friday to combat the ongoing issue, which was donated by the local Hyundai car dealership.

Yuma resident Joaquin Camacho made sure to get his hands on one. He said he’s heard too many horror stories.

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“They steal cars, take them to Mexico and sell the parts and everything. It’s hard because you pay for your car , it’s new and somebody takes it from you,” said Camacho.

Police said a visual deterrent like a steering wheel lock can keep your car from getting stolen.

“Roll up your windows, lock your doors, and park in well-lit areas. For the holidays, everyone is shopping. Put your bags in the trunk. Don’t leave any valuables in your car,” said Yuma PD’s public information officer, Cristina Fernandez.

Fernandez said car thieves look for any opportunity to steal a car, and Prieto said cars are often stolen in parking lots and gas stations.

“In the mornings people leave their vehicles running at Circle K. They go in for coffee and when they come out their car is gone. It happens all the time,” said Prieto.

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Prieto said they are working to get more locks donated for residents in the San Luis area.

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Haitian man detained at Arizona ICE facility dies in US custody, brother says

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Haitian man detained at Arizona ICE facility dies in US custody, brother says


FLORENCE, AZ (AP) — A Haitian man confined at an Arizona immigration detention center for months died at a hospital Monday after a tooth infection was left untreated, the man’s brother said Wednesday.

Emmanuel Damas, 56, told medical personnel at the Florence Correctional Center that he had a toothache in mid-February, but he was not sent to a dentist, said Damas’ brother, Presly Nelson.

Nelson believes the staff at the facility did not take his brother’s complaints seriously, even though it was a treatable condition. Nelson said he would expect such a death in countries with less access to health care, but not in the United States.

“As a country — I’m an American now — I think we can do better than that,” Nelson said.

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Damas is among at least nine people who have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody this year.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. ICE had said it hoped to issue a news release Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, ICE officials announced the death of Mexican national Alberto Gutierrez-Reyes, who had been in a California ICE detention center and died in the hospital Feb. 27 after reporting chest pain and shortness of breath.

Chandler City Council member Christine Ellis, a Haitian American who is a registered nurse, said she was contacted by Damas’ family after his death.

“As a medical person, I am absolutely appalled that there were medical-licensed people that were working there and allowed those things to happen,” Ellis said. “It does not make sense to me.”

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A report from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office listed Damas’ cause of death as “pending” as of Wednesday.

Damas was taken into ICE custody in September and was soon transferred to the medium-security Florence Correctional Center, where he was held for several months, including after his asylum application was denied, Ellis said.

CoreCivic, a for-profit corrections company that runs the Florence facility, did not respond to emails seeking comment.

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Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.



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3 men sentenced in Arizona for multi-million dollar scam against Amazon

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3 men sentenced in Arizona for multi-million dollar scam against Amazon


PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Three Valley men have been sentenced for their roles in what prosecutors described as a “sophisticated fraud scheme” against an online shopping giant.

In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Mughith Faisal, 29, of Glendale, was sentenced on Feb. 5 to 18 months in prison. His brother, Basheer Faisal, 28, of Glendale, was also recently ordered to spend 18 months in prison.

The feds said a third defendant in the case, Abdullah Alwan, 28, of Surprise, was sentenced to six months in prison after the trio pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

Prosecutors said the three were also each ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution to Amazon.

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According to federal officials, Alwan worked in Amazon’s logistics division and left the company in 2021 when he reportedly used his knowledge to manipulate rates for transportation deliveries assigned to Amazon’s third-party carriers.

The feds said Basheer and Mughith Faisal used “Blue Line Transport” to knowingly get to increased transport rates that Alwan would then input into Amazon’s system, ripping them off out of $4.5 million.

The FBI’s Phoenix Division helped in the investigation, which was then prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

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Copyright 2026 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.



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Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026

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Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026


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The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Tuesday, March 3, 2026 results for each game:

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Winning Mega Millions numbers

07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers

2-0-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers

02-05-18-27-41

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Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Triple Twist numbers

11-14-17-19-23-24

Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results

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What time is the Powerball drawing?

Powerball drawings are at 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

How much is a Powerball lottery ticket today?

In Arizona, Powerball tickets cost $2 per game, according to the Arizona Lottery.

How to play the Powerball

To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.

You can choose your lucky numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.

To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:

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  • 5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
  • 5 white balls = $1 million.
  • 4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
  • 4 white balls = $100.
  • 3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
  • 3 white balls = $7.
  • 2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
  • 1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
  • 1 red Powerball = $4.

There’s a chance to have your winnings increased two, three, four, five and 10 times through the Power Play for an additional $1 per play. Players can multiply non-jackpot wins up to 10 times when the jackpot is $150 million or less.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:

Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

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Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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