March 17, 2005
Daniel González and Weldon B. Johnson
The Arizona Republic
The discovery of at least four drophouses in two days indicates the Valley remains a major transportation hub for immigrant smuggling despite recent efforts by the federal government to curb illegal immigration in Arizona.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, and local police departments, raided homes in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"As long as Phoenix remains a transportation hub for smugglers, we will continue to see smuggling activity," said Russell Ahr, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Phoenix.
After guiding undocumented immigrants across the border, smuggling organizations transport them to Phoenix, where they are typically held in drophouses until relatives pay off their smuggling fees or until they are transported elsewhere.
One of the more shocking discoveries came Tuesday afternoon when officers raided a house in the Grayhawk neighborhood of north Scottsdale, where homes are estimated to sell for as much as $500,000. Seventy-one people were taken from a rented house in the 7200 block of East Overlook Drive.
The house, which is appraised at $240,000, backs up to a natural wash. Neighbors said they didn't see anything suspicious but do recall hearing what sounded like all-terrain vehicles late at night.
"This is a family neighborhood," said David Rucker, who lives two doors away from the house. "I never would have expected anything like that to happen here.
"I guess if I was in that business and trying to be discrete, I'd probably do it someplace you wouldn't expect. Nobody would expect it at Grayhawk."
Tuesday evening, Phoenix police went to the 5800 block of West Catalina Drive, about two blocks north of Thomas Road. Officers found a man grazed by a bullet and another man who was cut while trying to climb through a window, said Detective Tony Morales.
Officers determined there were 24 undocumented immigrants at the home. The two men were injured when they attempted to escape.
Later, police found four more people who had fled the home. The two smugglers were not found.
Wednesday morning, 23 people were found in a central Tempe neighborhood after a resident called to report that people from a house in the 1300 block of East Carter Drive were loading into a vehicle that backed up to the front door. A patrol officer stopped a white van with about 20 people inside, though most fled when the vehicle was pulled over, said Sgt. Dan Masters, a department spokesman.
Tempe police officers surrounded the neighborhood and found most of the people from the van. Ten more people were found in the house on Carter.
Also Wednesday, Maricopa County adult probation officers found nine undocumented immigrants while tracking down people who had violated their probation agreements.
Staff reporters Emily Bittner, Katie Nelson and Brent Whiting contributed to this article.
http://www.azcentral.com/php-bin/clicktrack/email.php/2946614