Nine held in clampdown on human trafficking

NINE suspected human traffickers have been arrested by the US authorities, it was revealed yesterday.

They are believed to be part of a major network transporting thousands of illegal immigrants every year from Mexico via Phoenix, Arizona.

Authorities say the gang were led by a 29-year-old Mexican man who gave his name as Mark Rodriguez-Banks, also known as Ricardo Morales-Mejia.

At least seven of the people in custody are Mexican men who are believed to be in the country illegally, authorities said.

Rodriguez-Banks provided vehicles to take immigrants arriving on foot from the border to Phoenix, and from there to other parts of the US, said Arizona department of public safety Captain Fred Zumbo.

Sixty-two vans, some disguised as belonging to florists or carpet cleaning companies, were also seized. All had false registration papers. Many of the people trafficked are thought to have come from Guatemala.

The ring is thought to be linked to a road crash in June 2009 near Sonoita, Arizona, in which 11 illegal immigrants died.

They were among 27 people "stacked like wood" inside the van and thrown onto the road when a tyre burst and the vehicle rolled over.