Note: one of the reasons for covering this story is that it happened
about 100 miles NORTH of the official / former border.
1 of 2 border shooting victims in Eloy identified
Wed, 04/11/2012 - 11:56pm
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.svherald.com/associatedpress/258682
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities in southern Arizona have identified
one of two men killed in an ambush on a truckload of illegal
immigrants in Eloy.
Pima County Sheriff's officials say the truck was ambushed by an
unknown number of people dressed in camouflage and armed with rifles
late Sunday night.
Border Patrol agents and police officers from Eloy and Coolidge
responded to a report of shots fired about 10:30 p.m. in a wash known
for human smuggling activity.
They say one man was found dead inside the bed of the truck and
another in a wash near the vehicle.
Sheriff's officials on Wednesday identified one of the victims as 39-
year-old Gerardo Perez-Ruiz of Toluca, Mexico.
A second body hasn't been identified yet, but authorities say the man
is believed to be from Guatemala.
Note: some dubious info / conclusions in this one. Seems like a lot
of dis-mis info going around lately. Read closely.
Attacks on migrants being smuggled a rarity in recent times
by Daniel Gonzalez - Apr. 11, 2012 09:42 PM
The Arizona Republic | azcentral.com
Violent attacks on groups of illegal immigrants being smuggled into
the U.S. were common in Arizona several years ago as rival
organizations battled over the lucrative immigrant- and drug-
smuggling trades.
2 killed in Eloy ambush
But such attacks, like the one that left two migrants dead near Eloy
on Sunday, have been declining in recent years as a result of a drop
in illegal immigration and a crackdown on violent smuggling
organizations, law-enforcement officials say.
"It's been more sporadic over time," said Matthew Allen, special
agent in charge of investigations for U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement in Phoenix.
On Sunday, gunmen wearing camouflage clothing and armed with rifles
opened fire on a pickup truck loaded with 20 to 30 immigrants
believed to be in the country illegally, killing two people,
according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
On Wednesday, the Sheriff's Department identified one of the dead
migrants as Gerardo Perez Ruiz, 39, a Mexican national.
Investigators were still trying to confirm the identify of the second
victim, believed to be from Guatemala, said Deputy Dawn Barkman, a
spokeswoman for the department.
No arrests had been made as of Wednesday.
Barkman said violent attacks on groups of illegal immigrants had
"decreased significantly" in recent years after the department
created a "border crimes unit" in April 2007 to crack down on
smuggling organizations.
The unit patrols in remote desert areas used by smuggling
organizations to transport loads of drugs and illegal immigrants into
the country, she said.
"They were very successful in eliminating a lot of that activity,"
she said.
She said it had been five years since the last incident involving a
violent attack on a load of illegal immigrants by so-called rip
crews, or bajadores.
In March 2007, gunmen wearing dark clothing ambushed a vehicle loaded
with more than 20 illegal immigrants near Green Valley, south of
Tucson, killing two people.
Three months earlier, four men wearing camouflage and berets and
armed with an assault weapon killed a smuggling suspect and wounded
another person after ambushing a vehicle in a field about 40 miles
north of Eloy in Pinal County.
One of the most high-profile attacks took place in November 2003,
when gunmen opened fired on a van carrying a load of illegal
immigrants on Interstate 10 between Casa Grande and Phoenix. Four
people were killed and five others were wounded in that attack.
Allen, the ICE special agent, said rip crews have been around for
decades. They wait on the U.S. side of the border to ambush
organizations transporting drugs or illegal immigrants across the
border and then steal their loads.
"Without a whole lot of investment up front they can either sell
those drugs or extort a smuggling fee from the aliens that they
capture," Allen said.
He said they sometimes start shooting when the smugglers they are
trying to ambush refuse to stop.
"Out of frustration and complete reckless disregard for everybody,
they start shooting at the vehicle to try and get them to stop,"
Allen said. "They view either the people or the drugs as a commodity,
but at some point they lose sight of the fact that if you want to
extort a smuggling fee out of those people, it's very difficult to do
when the person you are trying to extort the smuggling fee out of is
dead or wounded."
He said tighter border security led to an increase in rip crews. But
their activity has decreased in recent years due to an overall
decrease in illegal immigration.
Mario Escalante, a spokesman for the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector,
said that historically, human-smuggling activity spiked in the
spring, when the number of illegal immigrants seeking jobs in
agriculture or construction increased.
But illegal immigration has not increased in the spring based on
apprehensions by the Border Patrol, he said.
Through March of this fiscal year, about 64,000 apprehensions have
been made in the Tucson Sector, compared with about 66,000 during the
same period last year, he said.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/
2012/04/11/20120411migrant-attack-load-rarity-recent-
times.html#ixzz1rqMK36Xb
Feds arrest Hesles brothers in connection with a scheme to smuggle
ammunition into Mexico
Written by Staff
Tuesday, 10 April 2012 10:48
http://eaglepassdaily.com/
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE: United States Attorney Robert Pitman, ICE-HSI
Special Agent in Charge Jerry Robinette and ATF Acting Special Agent
in Charge Gary Orchowski announced the arrests today of Eagle Pass,
Texas, residents Richard Hesles, Jr., age 32 and his brother, Damien
Hesles, age 22, in connection with a scheme to smuggle over 6,000
rounds of ammunition and hundreds of firearm magazines into the
Republic of Mexico.
A federal grand jury indictment–returned on April 4, 2012 and
unsealed today–charges Richard with seven counts of smuggling
ammunition from the United States, two counts of smuggling firearm
magazines; and, one count of smuggling firearms sights. The
indictment also charges Damien with three counts of smuggling
ammunition, one count of smuggling magazines and one count of
smuggling firearm sights.
The indictment alleges that between March 15, 2010, and February 17,
2012, the defendants aided and abetted the exportation or attempted
exportation of: over 6,000 rounds of ammunition designed for use in
various firearms, including AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles as well
as .50 caliber sniper rifles; over 300 assault rifle magazines and 63
magazines for other types of firearms; and, firearm sights.
The indictment also seeks a monetary judgement against the defendants
in the amount of approximately $100,000 representing property
allegedly used to carry out their illegal scheme.
The defendants are scheduled to have their initial appearance
tomorrow morning at 9:00 in Del Rio before United States Magistrate
Judge Victor Roberto Garcia.
Upon conviction, each defendant faces a maximum of ten years
imprisonment per count.
The case is being investigated by agents from Immigration and Customs
Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations together with the
assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Galdo and
Benjamin Seal are prosecuting the case on behalf of the Government.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge and
should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are
presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Posted April 11, 2012, 1:45 a.m.
Arrested three "workers" in Arizona
Three men accused of being bandits or "workers" at the border have
been charged in federal court for assaulting a group of migrants.
Were reported last week of assaulting migrants
Omar Chiquete
Nogales, Arizona - New Day
http://www.nuevodia.com.mx/local/detienen-a-tres-bajadores-en-arizona/
Three men accused of being bandits or "workers" at the border have
been charged in federal court for assaulting a group of illegal
immigrants at gunpoint in Arizona and ransom from their families.
The detainees were presented as Caroil Christian Perez, Ruben Diaz
Vega and Alfredo Perez Luna, accused of assault on three migrants at
gunpoint in the desert near Amado, in southern Arizona.
A criminal complaint filed on March 29 in federal court in Tucson,
said that migrants were separated from their trafficker or "coyote"
when they met with Luna Perez with gun in hand.
They were taken to a camp where the Diaz Vega and Perez were Caroil
and the migrants were forced to call family and ask for money for
their release.
Each family paid between 1,000 or 1,500 for the migrants before they
were released.
Shortly after they were arrested by Border Patrol agents, gave part
of the assault so that the assailants were located and arrested.
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