6 arrested for human smuggling at west Phoenix drop house

PHOENIX - Authorities say six suspected human smugglers were arrested at a west Phoenix drop house Wednesday.

According to the Department of Public Safety, IIMPACT detectives got a tip from out of state that two people were being held against their will for money at a home near Camelback Road and 79th Avenue.

Shortly after 1 p.m. a DPS Special Operations Unit served a search warrant at the home where six suspected human smugglers fled into the backyards of several nearby homes.

Officers reportedly found one suspect hiding inside a dumpster. Five men and one woman were located and taken into custody. The suspects were taken to the Fourth Avenue Jail where they booked on charges of human smuggling.

Officials say 16 victims were found inside the home, including three juvenile males, two females and 11 male adults.

They suspected undocumented immigrants were reportedly from El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

Officials say several victims told detectives there were armed guards working in shifts inside the home and that all of them were being threatened and extorted for money.

Investigators believe the drop house had been operating for a long period of time.