Phoenix Police locate Drop House with more than 50 undocumented aliens

On June 29, 2010, Phoenix Police Officers observed a white Chevrolet pickup truck driving erratically in a residential neighborhood. At one point the officers lost visual contact with the truck. A short time later, the officers located the same white Chevrolet pickup truck in the driveway of a home located at 1709 S. 82^nd Avenue in Phoenix.

The male driver of the pickup truck attempted to walk away from the officers. However, the officers were able to make contact with the driver and while they were talking to him, they observed a male suspect run from the back of the house and scale a wall on the back of the property. The officers went to the backyard, looked inside the residence and saw a large number of people.

Phoenix Police established a perimeter and conducted an initial assessment of the house. They found 51 undocumented aliens inside (44 males and 7 females). The officers then contacted IIMPACT, which is conducting the investigation.

Several of the undocumented aliens are believed to be from Guatemala. They include six juveniles. The human smuggler was to taken to IIMPACT headquarters. The 51 UDA’s were turned over to ICE.

The undocumented aliens reportedly paid between $2,500 and $7,000 to enter the United States. Two weapons were found inside the house.

IIMPACT (Illegal Immigration Prevention & Apprehension Co-op Team) is a multi-agency project managed by GIITEM of the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) that is designed to address rising crime associated with illegal immigration. IIMPACT is comprised of personnel from DPS, Phoenix Police, ICE and the Arizona Fraudulent Identification Task Force (AFIT). As the name implies, local, state and federal police agencies combine forces to impact international human smuggling organizations operating in Arizona.