PHOENIX -- A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to holding 30 suspected illegal immigrants hostage at a house in El Mirage on Jan. 31.

Jaime Zamora-Martinez, 37, of Mexico, admitted he carried a gun while he and several others held the immigrants hostage in a drop house in El Mirage.

Drop houses are where smugglers hide illegal immigrants as they collect their fees and make their travel arrangements.

They forced the hostages to provide phone numbers for family members who were told to send payments through Western Union to a human smuggler in Mexico, authorities said.

The smugglers threatened to kill the hostages if the fees were not paid, using baseball bats, guns and a knife to intimidate the hostages, authorities said.

A conviction for possession of a firearm during a crime of violence carries a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum penalty of life in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 14, 2009.