BajaNomad - Decoy for US-Mexico Human Smuggling Ring: African American Drivers

Decoy for US-Mexico Human Smuggling Ring: African American Drivers

Mengano - 2-4-2012 at 10:39 AM

U.S. federal authorities indicted five people in connection with a suspected smuggling ring that used non-Spanish speaking, African-American drivers to ferry undocumented immigrants over the border in an effort to avoid detection.

María López-Diaz, 60, of Compton and three others were arrested Thursday on counts related to the transportation of undocumented immigrants in special compartments and the trunks of cars, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement.

The ring coordinated with international smugglers to pick-up undocumented immigrants once they crossed the border and transport them to Los Angeles, officials said.

López-Diaz recruited poor black drivers from South Los Angeles hoping they would not rouse the suspicion of authorities near the border. The drivers' inability to communicate with the immigrants also meant they had limited information about the broader smuggling scheme, officials said.

The drivers were paid between $300 and $800 for each of the dozens of people they transported from the border to Los Angeles each month in 2010.

"Criminal organizations are always looking for ways to evade detection by law enforcement, said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge of ICE homeland security investigations in Los Angeles. "This particular organization figured out, hey, what if we used African Americans as drivers? They might be likely to draw less attention."

"Ultimately, of course, it didn't work," he said.

López-Diaz, two relatives and a suspected driver appeared in federal court Thursday afternoon. Another suspected driver remains at large. López-Diaz was being held without bail.

The five defendants were indicted last month on one charge of conspiracy. López-Diaz and her 35-year-old son-in-law Juan Eduardo Baltazar are also charged with transporting undocumented immigrants and immigrant harboring. Bobby Johnson, a 67-year-old driver from Los Angeles, is also charged with transporting undocumented immigrants, officials said. Johnson is being held on $25,000 bond.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/02/03/5-indicted-...

Dave - 2-4-2012 at 10:48 AM

Eyez don't know nuthin' 'bout smugglin' no Messicans massa.

smugin

captkw - 2-4-2012 at 10:57 AM

HOLA,,with the bad eco in the states,,they seem to being a lot of returning worker's (farm labor)back to mexico,,some farms in the centrail vally of calif are having a hard time with finding enough picker's........K&T

motoged - 2-4-2012 at 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by captkw
HOLA,,with the bad eco in the states,,they seem to being a lot of returning worker's (farm labor)back to mexico,,some farms in the centrail vally of calif are having a hard time with finding enough picker's........K&T

I guess some of those white folks whining about unemployment might find a job, huh?!

woody with a view - 2-4-2012 at 11:05 AM

i dunno, my local market is selling 3 heads of iceberg lettuce for a buck. that's an insult to the lettuce!

DENNIS - 2-4-2012 at 12:45 PM

From now on, Ken Cooke will be 72 hours in secondary, even with Sentri. :lol:

JoeJustJoe - 2-4-2012 at 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave
Eyez don't know nuthin' 'bout smugglin' no Messicans massa.

Yeah I expected a few racist posts to come out. I think it's shameful.

Actually it's a very smart idea on the smugglers part, and another reason why stereotyping people isn't a very smart idea if you're trying to catch people doing something illegal by the US/Mexico border.

motoged

captkw - 2-4-2012 at 01:30 PM

Hola,I dont think so,,most folks dont know ,how hard that work is,,I've never picked myself,but read a great book about a white guy that did it...hard work is something white folk dont seem to do anymore !!as a white gringo/mexican I know a lot of lazy folks up north,,just saying what I see....K&T :cool:

soulpatch - 2-4-2012 at 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave
Eyez don't know nuthin' 'bout smugglin' no Messicans massa.

Really?

DENNIS - 2-4-2012 at 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by captkw
...hard work is something white folk dont seem to do anymore !!as a white gringo/mexican I know a lot of lazy folks up north,,just saying what I see....K&T :cool:

Yeah....I see a lot of that too. Mostly, I think, it's the one's who busted their butts to get an education. They hate to pick lettuce.

toneart - 2-4-2012 at 04:45 PM

Most "racists" don't know they are racists, and even if the do, they deny it. But it shows up here and elsewhere as pathetic attempts at humor. Fortunately, most of the rest of us aren't laughing.

Words of a wise man here...

mcfez - 2-4-2012 at 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by toneart
Most "racists" don't know they are racists, and even if the do, they deny it. But it shows up here and elsewhere as pathetic attempts at humor. Fortunately, most of the rest of us aren't laughing.