Illegal Alien Drop House Raids, Money Laundering
John W. Slagle
March 12, 2006
March 10, 2006,Mesa, Arizona. According to the Associated Press, recent strings of illegal alien drop-house raids were tied to a money laundering investigation, per the Arizona Financial Crimes Task Force.
The three-week investigation by the Task Force has led to the apprehension of more than 150 illegal immigrants in Mesa since Friday, along with human smugglers.
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard on Thursday indicted eight people connected to the apprehensions in Mesa. They were indicted on charges of human smuggling, conspiracy, fraud, assisting a criminal syndicate, illegally conducting an enterprise and money laundering.
Investigators said Wednesday that they will raid more drop houses, sites where illegal immigrants are left by smugglers, in Phoenix and other cities in the metropolitan area in the coming weeks.
That wasn't the original goal of the task force, said Phoenix police Sgt. Clark Simmons.
The task force was simply doing surveillance on some suspects in money laundering in Mesa when they "bumped into" stashes of illegal immigrants traveling with human smugglers, known as "coyotes."
Historically, money laundering investigations have led police to narcotics and fraud schemes. But lately, the crime is leading police to coyotes and the people they smuggle.
DPS Sgt. Ernie Renfro said an illegal immigrant typically pays a smuggler $1,500 to $1,800 to be taken into the United States.
When dozens of immigrants come to the United States together, the coyotes end up with large amounts of cash that they cannot deposit or spend without drawing suspicion from financial regulators. So they launder the money. News source, Associated Press, Money Laundering Probe finds Smuggling…
Personal Opinion...
Phoenix, Arizona has been a semi-sanctuary city for illegal aliens similar to Los Angeles for many years. Police Officers under Municipal regulations cannot make arrests unless a misdemeanor or felony is committed, regardless of illegal immigration status for an individual or groups of people.
The Phoenix Police Department nor the Task Force should feel they owe an explanation for exposing organized crime involving illegal aliens. The original goal of the Financial Crimes Unit may have been directed at Narcotics, but organized human Trafficking, money laundering has been in existence for decades.
It doesn’t take great police work or surveillance to “Bump into” Organized people smuggling in Phoenix. It’s very much in the “open” in many communities, the barrios to upscale Scottsdale and rural Chandler Heights.
When a single family home or building contains 25 to 50 people, with constant arrivals and departures of those people by vans or trucks, it could be considered suspicious by local community residents or the police on patrol.
The Immigration Anti-Smuggling Cases involving felony drop house operations in Phoenix to out-lying areas always involved financial crimes and violations of 8 USC 1324.
Prior to the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Customs and Immigration Enforcement, Anti-Smuggling Special Agents in Phoenix and Tucson executed countless Search warrants in felony investigations. The amount of money involved in organized Human smuggling is still unknown, but estimated to be equal to narcotics yearly.
With many years as an Investigator, Crime scene evidence photographer, recorder on Search warrants involving kidnapping, extortion, murder in illegal alien drop houses, the Associated Press article is great news.
Organized Crime is not just a Federal Issue, but also involves local and state agencies despite “illegal alien” political mandates of community policing, “hands off on immigration violations.”
As an Arizona taxpayer, I’m very proud of a state police task force that has uncovered a long existing problem and no apologies are necessary to “coyotes”,“flesh merchants ”or being politically incorrect in state prosecutions.
The three-week investigation by the Task Force has led to the apprehension of more than 150 illegal immigrants in Mesa since Friday, along with human smugglers.
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard on Thursday indicted eight people connected to the apprehensions in Mesa. They were indicted on charges of human smuggling, conspiracy, fraud, assisting a criminal syndicate, illegally conducting an enterprise and money laundering.
Investigators said Wednesday that they will raid more drop houses, sites where illegal immigrants are left by smugglers, in Phoenix and other cities in the metropolitan area in the coming weeks.
That wasn't the original goal of the task force, said Phoenix police Sgt. Clark Simmons.
The task force was simply doing surveillance on some suspects in money laundering in Mesa when they "bumped into" stashes of illegal immigrants traveling with human smugglers, known as "coyotes."
Historically, money laundering investigations have led police to narcotics and fraud schemes. But lately, the crime is leading police to coyotes and the people they smuggle.
DPS Sgt. Ernie Renfro said an illegal immigrant typically pays a smuggler $1,500 to $1,800 to be taken into the United States.
When dozens of immigrants come to the United States together, the coyotes end up with large amounts of cash that they cannot deposit or spend without drawing suspicion from financial regulators. So they launder the money. News source, Associated Press, Money Laundering Probe finds Smuggling…
Personal Opinion...
Phoenix, Arizona has been a semi-sanctuary city for illegal aliens similar to Los Angeles for many years. Police Officers under Municipal regulations cannot make arrests unless a misdemeanor or felony is committed, regardless of illegal immigration status for an individual or groups of people.
The Phoenix Police Department nor the Task Force should feel they owe an explanation for exposing organized crime involving illegal aliens. The original goal of the Financial Crimes Unit may have been directed at Narcotics, but organized human Trafficking, money laundering has been in existence for decades.
It doesn’t take great police work or surveillance to “Bump into” Organized people smuggling in Phoenix. It’s very much in the “open” in many communities, the barrios to upscale Scottsdale and rural Chandler Heights.
When a single family home or building contains 25 to 50 people, with constant arrivals and departures of those people by vans or trucks, it could be considered suspicious by local community residents or the police on patrol.
The Immigration Anti-Smuggling Cases involving felony drop house operations in Phoenix to out-lying areas always involved financial crimes and violations of 8 USC 1324.
Prior to the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Customs and Immigration Enforcement, Anti-Smuggling Special Agents in Phoenix and Tucson executed countless Search warrants in felony investigations. The amount of money involved in organized Human smuggling is still unknown, but estimated to be equal to narcotics yearly.
With many years as an Investigator, Crime scene evidence photographer, recorder on Search warrants involving kidnapping, extortion, murder in illegal alien drop houses, the Associated Press article is great news.
Organized Crime is not just a Federal Issue, but also involves local and state agencies despite “illegal alien” political mandates of community policing, “hands off on immigration violations.”
As an Arizona taxpayer, I’m very proud of a state police task force that has uncovered a long existing problem and no apologies are necessary to “coyotes”,“flesh merchants ”or being politically incorrect in state prosecutions.
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