The Perils of Human Smuggling

If you can't trust a travel agent- who can you trust?

Fourteen travel agents have been arrested in connection with a human smuggling ring by providing air transportation for an estimated 6,800 people in two years. Two of individuals also ran safety points called "drop houses". How generous.

The six travel agencies involved were all located in Phoenix, AZ.

The scam ran like this: Once the illegals were in the United States, the travel agents would arrange a one-way ticket to destination cities across the country. In most cases McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas was used for the out-going flights due to less interference by law enforcement.

The Sky Harbor International Airport has consistently maintained top-level security. Last month they debuted to use of a full-body scanner for the detection of concealed items not worth being arrested for.

In total, ticket sales were worth about $2,000,000.

The travel agents were charged under state human smuggling laws because they were facilitating the human trafficking. Undercover officers made it abundantly clear that their ticket purchases were intended for illegal immigrants.

Human smuggling is far from new in the United States, although its appearance in the daily news is often non-existent.

On Tuesday a 30-year-old male, who was fortunate enough to be an American citizen, was taken into custody by US Customs agents for trying to sneak a couple of illegal immigrants into the country.

The events unfolded when the individual tried to drive his vehicle through the San Ysidro Port of Entry, near San Diego. When selected for a random, secondary inspection, agents found two undocumented immigrants behind the back seat.

Once caught, the man tried to run but quickly apprehended. While in a holding facility, the man went into distress and was soon being administered CPR after his heart stopped beating. He died later at a hospital.