15 Aliens, 2 Alleged Smugglers Arrested

Fifteen illegal aliens and two men suspected of smuggling them across the border were seized early Wednesday in Lynwood after deputies were tipped by a woman who said she paid smugglers $1,800 to bring her relatives to the United States, authorities said.

The aliens, from Central America and Mexico, and two suspected smugglers, both Mexicans from Guadalajara, were being held at the Lynwood station following their arrests at a house on Wright Road, Deputy Dean Scoville said.

The officers were tipped by Noemi Barrera, 28, of Perris, who went to the Lynwood station about midnight Tuesday. She apparently had a change of heart after being given a phone number but failing to make contact with the smugglers and four members of her family who had arrived from Guatemala. A trace of the phone number led deputies to the house.