Police Find 79 Illegal Immigrants in Canoga Park House

Acting on a tip, police raided a Canoga Park home Monday night and found 79 illegal immigrants packed inside the so-called drop house.

The event was reminiscent of an incident last month in which 110 people were found crammed into a tiny Watts bungalow, where the doors were secured with chains to keep them from escaping.

Police spokesman Jason Lee said officers moved in on the house on Loma Verde Avenue near Sherman Way and De Soto Avenue at about 9:30 p.m., and the entire area was immediately cordoned off.

“They were packed into a single-story home,” Lee said.

“Fortunately, no one required immediate medical attention,” he added.

Police were holding three or four men suspected of being smugglers, also known as coyotes.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were en route to the house around midnight to aid police.

Jessica Dominguez, a private immigration lawyer called to the scene by the Coalition for Immigrant Rights, said, “It happens every single day. We have a lot of coyotes who take advantage of the vulnerability of these victims.”

Dominguez said she had been told that the immigrants had been fed and had access to a bathroom.

In last month’s incident, three men where charged on suspicion of smuggling illegal immigrants and holding them in the bungalow until family members paid fees ranging from $3,000 to $10,000.