Officials: 32 undocumented immigrants from 8 countries found at Phoenix drop house

PHOENIX - Three suspected human smugglers appeared in federal court Friday after an investigation into a Phoenix drop house uncovered undocumented immigrants from eight countries earlier this week.

According to a news release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE agents identified a possible drop house in the area of 89th Avenue and Thomas Road where on Wednesday they saw Samuel Antonio Vasquez pull into the garage in one vehicle and leave hours later in a different car.

Agents reportedly stopped the vehicle and found three Chinese females hiding under a blanket in the back seat. Vasquez, a 25-year-old citizen of Mexico, was arrested and the women were detained.

Agents returned to the drop house where they found an additional 29 border crossers from India, Ecuador, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

Officials say two additional suspected smugglers, Marcos Francisco-Salazar, 22, and Joaquin Santana, 27, both citizens of Mexico, were arrested at the drop house.

“While Arizona is the busiest human smuggling corridor in the United States, it is unusual to find citizens from so many different countries in the same drop house,” said Matt Allen, ICE special agent in charge of Arizona.

Officials say so far this year ICE and other law enforcement agencies have discovered more than 70 drop houses in Phoenix.

The three suspects appeared in court Friday on human smuggling charges.