Arizona
2 arrested in Mexico on charges of human smuggling in Arizona
PHOENIX – Two individuals are dealing with human smuggling fees in Arizona after being arrested in Mexico, federal authorities introduced Wednesday.
Ofelia Hernandez-Salas, 60, and Raul Saucedo-Huipio, 48, allegedly had been concerned in a world smuggling operation alongside the U.S.-Mexico border for years, the Division of Justice stated in a press launch.
INTERPOL and Mexican authorities arrested them final week after fees filed in Arizona had been unsealed.
“By dismantling a corporation that has operated with impunity for thus a few years, we’ve taken yet one more stride towards making the worldwide neighborhood a safer place,” Assistant Legal professional Normal Kenneth A. Well mannered Jr. stated within the launch.
“It’s because of our large partnerships with international locations like Mexico that we’re in a position to attract a line within the sand and make it crystal clear that individuals will now not be handled like commodities and their lives will now not be put in danger within the title of revenue.”
The defendants allegedly had been a part of a smuggling ring that charged tens of hundreds of {dollars} to migrants from around the globe.
The operation labored to get folks from Bangladesh, Yemen, Pakistan, Eritrea, India, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Russia, Egypt, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico into the U.S., prosecutors say.
The smugglers allegedly typically robbed the individuals who employed them.
“These defendants allegedly conspired to flout America’s immigration legal guidelines, and to victimize the very migrants they had been purporting to assist,” U.S. Legal professional Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona stated within the launch.
“Our pals and neighbors in Mexican regulation enforcement have been integral to our efforts to convey this smuggling ring to justice.”