The United States Attorney's Office

TWELVE INDICTED IN RELATION TO HUMAN SMUGGLING RING THAT MOVED OVER 5,000 ILLEGAL ALIENS ACROSS U.S.

            A federal grand jury in Los Angeles today indicted 12 defendants for their roles in an alien smuggling ring that brought illegal aliens to the Los Angeles area and, for hefty fees, arranged to move those people around the country. Paperwork recently collected in the investigation indicates that the organization transported at least 5,400 illegal aliens since mid-2004.
            The indictment follows the arrest of six of the defendants nearly two weeks ago. Today’s indictment charges all 12 defendants with conspiracy to harbor, conceal, and transport illegal aliens for commercial advantage and private financial gain.
            The investigation into the operation – dubbed the “three Franciscos” smuggling ring because the three lead defendants are named Francisco – began in May 2005 when the Los Angeles Police Department discovered two smuggling “drop houses” in a 24-hour period in South Los Angeles. More than 140 illegal aliens were packed into those houses.
            While a group of illegal aliens was being transported from Arizona into the Los Angeles area last year, a driver for the organization had an accident, which caused the minivan he was driving to careen into a highway median near Barstow, according to the indictment. The driver and 10 illegal aliens were ejected from the vehicle and suffered serious injuries, including crushed internal organs and cerebral hemorrhaging
            According to the indictment and a criminal complaint previously filed in the case, an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement uncovered an organization run by Guatemalan nationals who provided housing and transportation to illegal aliens who had previously been smuggled into the United States from Mexico, Central American and South America. The smuggled aliens were brought to drop houses in Los Angeles and Lancaster, where they were housed until they or family members paid up to $5,600 each for the domestic portion of their journey.
            “Organizations that operate like this one see people as nothing more than currency,” said Jennifer Silliman, acting special agent in charge of the ICE office of investigations in Los Angeles. “ICE remains committed to shutting down vulnerabilities in our immigration system by attacking and dismantling the organized networks that illegally transport illegal aliens for profit."
            Those indicted today are:

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