Deputies arrest 8 illlegal immigrants near Chandler

Four teenaged illegal immigrants went to a hospital with blistered feet, and four adults are in jail after Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies caught them speeding through the East Valley this morning,Cpt. Paul Chagolla said.

Chagolla said sheriff’s deputies stopped a late model Ford Explorer on Interstate 10 near Queen Creek Road on suspicion of speeding and found 13 people inside. Deputies said five occupants of the vehicle fled the scene near Firebird International Raceway south of Chandler, but deputies apprehended eight others. The four adults were put in custody, but the juveniles were taken to a hospital because their feet were blistered after walking for six days through the Arizona desert.

One 17-year-old remains hospitalized, Chagolla said.

Deputies said they learned that the illegal immigrants were paying smugglers $2,000 to $3,300 for transportation to the United States. The immigrants were headed for Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio and Washington.

Chagolla said the arrests were made possible by information gathered via Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s illegal immigration hotline: (602) 876-4154.