PHOENIX – Officials said a man pleaded guilty Wednesday to carrying a gun while he and others held 30 smuggled undocumented immigrants in an El Mirage drop house.
Jaime Zamora-Martinez, 37, of Mexico, and his co-defendants were accused of the smuggling on January 31
st, according to Sandy Raynor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona.
The alleged smugglers forced the hostages to provide phone numbers for family members who were told to send payments through Western Union to a smuggler in Mexico, said Raynor.
Zamora-Martinez also reportedly admitted that he and his co-defendants threatened to kill the hostages if the fees were not paid.
They apparently used baseball bats, guns and a knife to intimidate the hostages.
A conviction for possession of a firearm during a crime of violence carries a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum penalty of life in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
Sentencing is set before U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton on September 14th.
