Extortion of migrants worsening | Arizona Republic

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Extortion of migrants worsening
Smugglers tap families for cash

Daniel Gonzᬥz
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 29, 2003 12:00 AM

Armed smugglers holding undocumented immigrants against their will while trying to extort cash from relatives is a big problem in the Valley that is getting worse, local and federal law enforcement officials say.

On Sunday morning, Phoenix police responding to a tip found 20 undocumented immigrants who had been transported from the U.S.-Mexican border and then held by smugglers at a "drop house" in the 3600 block of West Portland Avenue.

One of the immigrants told federal officials that a smuggler had raped her, said Russell Ahr, a spokesman for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Phoenix office.

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