Homepage / Phoenix News
E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters
Related To Story
Jesus Miranda-Virgin


| More


Mexican Man Charged With Smuggling Immigrants

POSTED: 11:27 am MST October 29, 2007
UPDATED: 11:41 am MST October 29, 2007

A Mexican man was caught smuggling 17 illegal immigrants on Saturday, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said.

Officials said a sergeant patrolling Interstate 17 near Camp Verde pulled over a speeding Ford F-150 around 8:45 p.m. The pickup had Tennessee plates and a camper shell with blacked-out windows.

The driver of the pickup, 33-year-old Jesus Miranda-Virgin, had no driver's license and identified himself with a Mexican ID card, according to YCSO.

There were three female passengers in the cab, none of whom spoke English.

Miranda-Virgin told the sergeant he was coming from Phoenix and was taking his wife and friends to Flagstaff to find work, according to YCSO.

When the sergeant asked how many people were in the bed of the pickup, Virgin said there were 13. The sergeant opened the camper shell and found 13 men and one woman, the Sheriff's Office said.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent interviewed the 17 passengers and determined that 13 were from Mexico and four were from Guatemala. Only one spoke English.

The passengers were transported to the Camp Verde Jail, where they were picked up by ICE around 11:30 p.m.

Miranda-Virgin was charged with 17 counts of human smuggling and is being held without bond.

Links We Like
Sponsored Content
You can pick your friends, but not your family -- or your neighbors. Here's what you need to know about how to deal with yours. More

Find out what a sputtering economy and an increasingly difficult to crack job market means to you. More

Are you often tired or rushed in the morning? Give your morning habits a makeover, and start the day feeling positive and energetic instead. More

Do you want the look of a quality paint job without the hassle of having to redo it over and over? Spray on siding could be the answer. More

Sponsored Links