Arizona
18 members of Arizona human smuggling ring indicted, prosecutors say
YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — The bust of a human smuggling ring based in Yuma has resulted in 18 indictments, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said on Friday.
The suspects are allegedly part of the organization named La Mesa, which worked on behalf of the Mexican crime organization Los Rusos.
Investigators say the group is responsible for smuggling, or trying to smuggle, hundreds of people across the U.S.-Mexico border and further into the U.S.
Twenty-four-year-old Carlos Moreno-Serrano from Yuma was the leader of Le Mesa, prosecutors said.
Other alleged members coordinated the smuggling runs, scouted for drivers, ran stash houses, distributed the money for the drivers, rented cars and ran enforcement for La Mesa.
Detectives said as drivers got arrested, members started to take smaller groups of illegal immigrants to Southern and central California to avoid law enforcement.
Leaders in La Mesa would kidnap, threaten and beat up members and drivers who had been arrested.
The 18 suspects were federally charged with conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens for profit and conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. They are:
- Victor Eduardo Araiza-Ponce, 24, of Yuma;
- Antonio Aparicio III, 24, of Somerton;
- Alonzo Esparza, 27, of Yuma;
- Carlos Moreno-Serrano, 24, of Yuma;
- Xasiel Noriega-Gonzalez, 21, of Somerton;
- Joshua Guillermo Leon-Fuentes, 21, of Somerton;
- Angel Rodriguez, 23, of Yuma;
- Crystobal Figueroa, 23, of Somerton;
- Saul Ponce Jr., 23, of San Luis;
- David Leon-Pallanes, 23, of Yuma;
- Manuel Uriel Alvarado, 26, of Yuma;
- Elian Lopez, 24, of Yuma;
- Raymundo Delgado-Diaz, 35, of Yuma;
- Isreal Zeveda, 23, of Salinas, California;
- Francisco Javier Esparza-Macias, 21, of Somerton;
- Alex Chiquete, 25, of Yuma;
- Hector Eduardo-Valdez, 31, of Yuma; and
- Jose Gabriel Marquez-Mendiola, 32, of Yuma.
The maximum penalty for each charge is up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
Arizona
Arizona Cardinals Week 13 offensive snap counts, observations
A look at how the Cardinals split up their 61 offensive snaps against the Bucs.
In the Arizona Cardinals’ 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, 17 players participated in at least one of the 61 offensive snaps.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett, left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., left guard Evan Brown, center Hjalte Froholdt, right guard Isaiah Adams, right tackle Kelvin Beachum played every snap. Wide receiver Michael Wilson missed four, while tight end Trey McBride played all but seven.
How was the playing time divided up? Below are individual snap counts for every player who got in the game offensively, grouped by position.
The first number after each name is snaps and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.
Arizona Cardinals Week 13 offensive snap counts: Quarterbacks
- Jacoby Brissett (61/100
- Active, did not play: Kedon Slovis
- Reserve/injured (eligible for return): Kyler Murray
It was the fourth 300-yard game (301) in Brissett’s seven starts, but the record is 0-4 in those games and 1-6 overall. He completed 29-of-40 passes with two touchdown passes and one interception for a 100.1 passer rating. The interception was a bad decision and behind wide receiver Michael Wilson to stop their first possession of the game on a play that began at the 20-yard line, but not in the red zone.
On third down, Brissett’s three completions on six attempts achieved first downs for a total of 39 yards. He was sacked once and threw incomplete twice in the fourth quarter on third-and-1 and third-and-2 and on third-and-3 from the Tampa Bay 25-yard line in the third quarter. He ran three times for 16 yards with a long of eight.
Brissett said after the game, “It’s just execution, man. In a lot of those critical plays, I got to play a lot better.”
Running backs
- Michael Carter (32/52), Bam Knight (29/48)
- Inactive: Emari Demercado (injured)
- Active/did not play (except for special teams): Jermar Jefferson
- Reserve/injured: Trey Benson (eligible to return/practicing), James Conner (eligible to return, but won’t)
It was one of the better outings of the season as Knight rushed 11 times for 62 yards (5.6 average) and contributed 36 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown, on three receptions. He ended up with 98 yards from scrimmage. However, there was a lost fumble on the first possession of the first half after he ran for 13 yards on the first play.
Carter had 17 yards on three carries and added five catches for 47 yards.
Wide receivers
- Michael Wilson (57/93), Marvin Harrison Jr. (37/61), Xavier Weaver (30/49), Greg Dortch (20/33)
- Active/did not play (except for special teams): Andre Baccellia
- Reserve/injured: Simi Fehoko (eligible to return), Zay Jones (eligible to return, but won’t)
Harrison returned after missing two games because of appendicitis and caught six of seven targets for 69 yards with a long of 21. He was on and off the field because of a heel injury. Wilson returned to earth with three receptions for 26 yards on seven targets. Dortch had two catches for 14 yards, while Weaver was targeted once, but it wasn’t caught.
Tight ends
- Trey McBride (54/89), Elijah Higgins (25/41), Pharaoh Brown (7/11), Josiah Deguara (3/5)
- Reserve/injured: Tip Reiman, Travis Vokolek (both eligible to return, but won’t)
The beat goes on for McBride, who caught eight of nine targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. He extended his streak of five-catch games to 14, the second-longest in history for a tight end. He’s one game behind Travis Kelce of the Chiefs. McBride entered the game tied with Jimmy Graham for the most receiving yards for a tight end (301) in their first four seasons. The only blemish was a missed block on a failed fourth-and-1 play from the Cardinals’ 39-yard line in the fourth quarter that led to a 57-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal.
Higgins had two receptions for 17 yards.
Offensive linemen
- LT Paris Johnson Jr. (61/100), LG Evan Brown (61/100), C Hjalte Froholdt (61/100), RG Isaiah Adams (52/62), RT Kelvin Beachum (61/100), RT Josh Fryar (11/18)
- Inactive: C/G Hayden Conner
- Active/did not play: T Demontrey Jacobs
- Active/did not play (except for special teams): C/G Jon Gaines II
- Reserve/injured: RG Will Hernandez (eligible to return), T Christian Jones (eligible to return/practicing), RT Jonah Williams (eligible to return but won’t)
- Reserve/injured: Valentin Senn
The five starters played every snap, including Adams who returned to the first group after Hernandez was placed on injured reserve Saturday. Conner was activated from IR Saturday, but was inactive for the game. The decision was made five days before the deadline in his 21-day practice window.
In the Arizona Cardinals’ 20=17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, 17 players participated in at least one of the 61 offensive snaps.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett, left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., left guard Evan Brown, center Hjalte Froholdt, right guard Isaiah Adams, right tackle Kelvin Beachum played every snap. Wide receiver Michael Wilson missed four, while tight end Trey McBride played all but seven.
How was the playing time divided up? Below are individual snap counts for every player who got in the game offensively, grouped by position.
The first number after each name is snaps and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.
Arizona Cardinals Week 13 offensive snap counts:
Quarterbacks
Jacoby Brissett (61/100
Active, did not play: Kedon Slovis
Reserve/injured (eligible for return): Kyler Murray
It was the fourth 300-yard game (301) in Brissett’s seven starts, but the record is 0-4 in those games and 1-6 overall. He completed 29 of 40 passes with two sacks and one interception for a 100.1 passer rating. The interception was a bad decision and behind wide receiver Michael Wilson to stop their first possession of the game on a play that began at the 20-yard line, but not in the red zone.
On third down, Brissett’s three completions on six attempts achieved first downs for a total of 39 yards. He was sacked once and threw incomplete twice in the fourth quarter on third-and-1 and third-and-2 and on third-and-3 from the Tampa Bay 25-yard line in the third quarter. He ran three times for 16 yards with a long of eight.
Brissett said after the game, “It’s just execution man. In a lot of those critical plays, I got to play a lot better.”
Running backs
Michael Carter (32/52), Bam Knight (29/48)
Inactive: Emari Demercado (injured)
Active/did not play (except for special teams): Jermar Jefferson
Reserve/injured: Trey Benson (eligible to return/practicing), James Conner (eligible to return, but won’t)
It was one of the better outings of the season as Knight rushed 11 times for 62 yards (5.6 average) and contributed 36 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown, on three receptions. He ended up with 98 yards from scrimmage. However, there was a lost fumble on the first possession of the first half after he ran for 13 yards on the first play.
Carter had 17 yards on three carries and added five catches for 47 yards.
Wide receivers
Michael Wilson (57/93), Marvin Harrison Jr. (37/61), Xavier Weaver (30/49), Greg Dortch (20/33)
Active/did not play (except for special teams): Andre Baccellia
Reserve/injured: Simi Fehoko (eligible to return), Zay Jones (eligible to return, but won’t)
Harrison returned after missing two games because of appendicitis and caught six of seven targets for 69 yards with a long of 21. He was on and off the field because of a heel injury. Wilson returned to earth with three receptions for 26 yards on seven targets. Dortch had two catches for 14 yards, while Wesaver was targeted once, but it wasn’t caught.
Tight ends
Trey McBride (54/89), Elijah Higgins (25/41), Pharaoh Brown (7/11), Josiah Deguara (3/5)
Reserve/injured: Tip Reiman, Travis Vokolek (both eligible to return, but won’t)
The beat goes on for McBride, who caught eight of nine targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. He extended his streak of five-catch games to 14, the second-longest in history for a tight end. He’s one game behind Travis Kelce of the Chiefs. McBride entered the game tied with Jimmy Graham for the most receiving yards for a tight end (301) in their first four seasons. The only blemish was a missed block on a failed fourth-and-1 play from the Cardinals 39-yard line in the fourth quarter that led to a 57-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal.
Higgins had two receptions for 17 yards.
Offensive linemen
LT Paris Johnson Jr. (61/100), LG Evan Brown (61/100), C Hjalte Froholdt (61/100), RG Isaiah Adams (52/62), RT Kelvin Beachum (61/100), RT Josh Fryar (11/18)
Inactive: C/G Hayden Conner
Active/did not play: T Demontrey Jacobs
Active/did not play (except for special teams): C/G Jon Gaines II
Reserve/injured: RG Will Hernandez (eligible to return), T Christian Jones (eligible to return/practicing), RT Jonah Williams (eligible to return but won’t)
Reserve/injured: Valentin Senn
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Arizona
Winning $1.4M lottery ticket sold at this metro Phoenix grocery store
Strategies for playing the Powerball lottery game
Some suggestions for having the most luck with the popular lottery game.
One fortunate Arizona lottery player will take home nearly $1.5 million after a winning Triple Twist Jackpot ticket was sold at a metro Phoenix grocery store, Arizona Lottery officials said.
The ticket, which was worth $1,470,218, was sold at the Safeway located near Peoria Avenue and Cotton Lane in Surprise.
Sunday’s winning numbers were 12,17,18,19,41 and 42.
The next Triple Twist drawing is on Monday night. With the jackpot hit, the estimated jackpot for the next drawing is $200,000.
Arizona
Virus affecting horses continues to spread in Arizona, other states
A multi-state outbreak of an equine herpes virus continues to spread in Arizona, as a fourth case was confirmed this weekend. FOX 10’s Megan Spector learns more about one Valley rescue working hard to prevent the virus reaching their horses.
-
Science1 week agoWashington state resident dies of new H5N5 form of bird flu
-
Politics4 days agoRep. Swalwell’s suit alleges abuse of power, adds to scrutiny of Trump official’s mortgage probes
-
Business7 days agoStruggling Six Flags names new CEO. What does that mean for Knott’s and Magic Mountain?
-
Ohio6 days agoSnow set to surge across Northeast Ohio, threatening Thanksgiving travel
-
Technology5 days agoNew scam sends fake Microsoft 365 login pages
-
News5 days ago2 National Guard members wounded in ‘targeted’ attack in D.C., authorities say
-
World5 days agoTrump yanks G20 invitation from South Africa over false genocide claims
-
Politics20 hours agoWar Sec Pete Hegseth shares meme of children’s book character firing on narco terrorist drug boat