Border Patrol Makes ‘Most Wanted’ List Public

They are kingpins in the world of immigrant smuggling, eight elusive men controlling rings that make millions of dollars each month by illegally transporting thousands of people across the 14-mile San Diego-Tijuana border.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Border Patrol thrust their names and faces into the public spotlight by announcing its first “Most Wanted” list in California.

“Years of intelligence work led us to focus on these people,” said Salvadore Zamora, supervising agent at the Border Patrol’s San Diego headquarters. “They call the shots in their organizations, and they are all fugitives.”

Among the Mexican fugitives who authorities say specialize in human cargo:

* Vicente and Jose Peralta of the notorious Peralta smuggling clan.

* Alfonzo Zapien, nicknamed “Goat Herder,” who skipped bail just before sentencing on smuggling charges in 1999. Officials say Zapien and his associate, Sivestre Rivera, nicknamed “Rambo,” continue to operate with impunity out of Tijuana’s Hotel Guadiana.

* Nicolas Frausto, a smuggler and suspected drug dealer and sex offender whose evasive tactics include, on more than one occasion, driving against the flow of traffic on Interstate 5.

Some of the suspects are wanted by other law enforcement agencies. Most are believed to keep homes on both sides of the border. All routinely place their clients at risk of bodily harm, officials said.

The list, and a toll-free telephone number, will be posted in all Border Patrol facilities. It also will be carried by the Border Patrol’s specially trained search, trauma and rescue teams.

Officials say various initiatives to beef up patrols along the U.S.-Mexican border have increased the cost and danger of sneaking human cargo into the United States. The standard Tijuana-Los Angeles fee for Mexicans hovers between $1,500 and $2,500--four times the going rate a decade ago.

“The average fee for moving a Brazilian over the line is $4,000,” said senior patrol Agent Robert Senior. “For Chinese nationals, it’s $25,000.”

Now, officials are banking on the notion that immigrants found stranded in isolated terrains this summer will be eager to provide information that could lead authorities to their smugglers.

“When we find immigrants in distress, we’ll show them the wanted list,” said Border Patrol spokesman Ben Bauman.

Some critics of the Border Patrol, however, expressed doubts about the strategy.

Christian Ramirez of the American Friends Service Center in San Diego called it “almost comical.”

“I doubt that immigrants have any contact at all with these particular smugglers,” he said.

But patrol Agent Joe Rayball said critics miss the point. “If we get lucky, rescued aliens will recognize a face or name on the list, or at least give us the name of their foot guides,” he said. “Then we and federal prosecutors will lean on those guides to lead us back up their own chain of command.”

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the suspected smugglers is asked to call the U.S. Border Patrol at (800) 808-8727. Callers may remain anonymous.