IIMPACT investigation results in the arrest of a criminal alien who was implicated in the attempted murder of a California police officer

On May 9, 2011, the Illegal Immigration Prevention Apprehension Co-op Team (IIMPACT) conducted a human smuggling investigation. During surveillance, detectives stopped a suspected smuggling load vehicle on State Route 202 at 40^th Street in Phoenix. The vehicle was loaded with nine undocumented immigrants and smuggler or “coyote” who was the driver.

It was discovered during further investigation that one of the persons being smuggled was a criminal alien, with a prior arrest in California by the Redwood City Sheriff’s Office in 2005 for attempted murder of a police officer. The charges in California were dismissed and there was no record of the suspect being turned over to ICE for deportation by California authorities. He is identified as 38-year-old Johnny Santiago Vasquez-Calanche, a citizen of Guatemala. IIMPACT detectives determined Vasquez-Calanche had recently entered the United States illegally through Arizona en route to a final destination of Los Angeles.

During the past seven days IIMPACT detectives have raided three drop houses and have stopped an additional three illegal immigrant load vehicles. Those cases have resulted in the arrests of eight suspected human smugglers and the arrest of 63 undocumented immigrants. Most of the illegal immigrants are from Central America.

IIMPACT (Illegal Immigration Prevention & Apprehension Co-op Team) is a multi-agency project managed by GIITEM of the Arizona Department of Public Safety that is designed to “deter, disrupt and dismantle violent criminal organizations profiting from human smuggling.” In most IIMPACT cases, crimes of kidnapping, extortion, assault and human smuggling are prevalent. IIMPACT is comprised of investigators from the Phoenix Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS).

-END-