Immigrant Smuggling Suspect Held
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MEXICO CITY — Federal police announced late Tuesday the arrest of a suspected top smuggler of illegal immigrants, wanted in Mexico and the United States in connection with human trafficking as well as the deaths of migrants who drowned in the Rio Grande.
Authorities allege that Raul Antonio Espinoza Rojas is among the 12 top smugglers in Mexico, heading a network that reaches into Central and South America.
The ring allegedly arranges passage for smaller smuggling operatives who deal mostly with Russian, Chinese and Central American immigrants, according to a police statement.
Police allege that Espinoza Rojas had run the ring for five years, principally in the border state of Coahuila. He charged $1,500 to $2,000, according to police.
He was detained Monday in the Coahuila city of Piedras Negras in a sting operation as he prepared to send two groups of immigrants--Guatemalans, Hondurans and Salvadorans as well as one Slovenian--across the border.
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