LOS ANGELES (AP) - A member of a notorious street gang and six other men were charged with taking part in a violent kidnapping ring that snatched groups of illegal immigrants from their smugglers, then held them for ransom, federal authorities said Wednesday.
Over the course of a year, the ring hijacked as many as 400 illegal immigrants who had crossed the border, authorities said. To buy back their freedom, relatives in the United States were typically charged $1,500 each, said Daren Dowell, a supervisory agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
``We're dealing with ruthless individuals who view human life as nothing more than cargo for profit,'' Kevin Jeffery, the agency's associate special agent-in-charge, said in a statement.
The agency said the case appeared to be the first in which an immigrant-hijacking scheme was linked to a gang in Los Angeles. The 18th Street gang, formed in the 1960s, is considered one of the most violent in the United States.
The scheme was uncovered Friday in a traffic stop of a van. The traffic stop started an investigation that led authorities to a Los Angeles apartment, where most of the suspects were taken into custody.
The suspects were arraigned in federal court Tuesday on charges of transporting and harboring illegal aliens and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling
Over the course of a year, the ring hijacked as many as 400 illegal immigrants who had crossed the border, authorities said. To buy back their freedom, relatives in the United States were typically charged $1,500 each, said Daren Dowell, a supervisory agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
``We're dealing with ruthless individuals who view human life as nothing more than cargo for profit,'' Kevin Jeffery, the agency's associate special agent-in-charge, said in a statement.
The agency said the case appeared to be the first in which an immigrant-hijacking scheme was linked to a gang in Los Angeles. The 18th Street gang, formed in the 1960s, is considered one of the most violent in the United States.
The scheme was uncovered Friday in a traffic stop of a van. The traffic stop started an investigation that led authorities to a Los Angeles apartment, where most of the suspects were taken into custody.
The suspects were arraigned in federal court Tuesday on charges of transporting and harboring illegal aliens and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling
