Sheriff Joe Smashes Human Smuggling Cartel; Ring Leader Had Been Deported 8 Times

Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his deputies have smashed a human smuggling ring that has brought hundreds and perhaps thousands of illegal aliens in and through Arizona over the past 4 years. The daring raid comes amid concerns that a judge’s ruling could curtail such enforcement actions in the future.

The suspects are part of a multi-million dollar illegal alien smuggling ring. After a five month investigation, Maricopa detectives tracked the operation to a home outside Phoenix. That’s where they found the ringleader, a man who’d already been deported eight times -

That man  is 35-year-old Javier Rito-Martinez. He controls a human smuggling cartel that brought illegals to the U.S. from Oaxaca, Mexico. He and 9 other suspects were arrested by MCSO deputies in the raid.

Neighbors reacted to the sudden and massive assault on Rito-Martinez’ compound by MCSO deputies and SWAT teams.

“I saw all these unmarked sheriffs’ cars coming down and there was like 12 of them and they all had their lights going,” says neighbor Shelly House. House saw the SWAT team storm her neighborhood and thought something significant was happening down the street — and she was right.

House says she’ll sleep better knowing the sheriff is cracking down on smugglers. “He’s doing a great job, I believe and as long as he stays focused on that I think we can get this problem under control,” says House.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested ten suspects – all illegal aliens from Mexico. Three of them have been deported multiple times in the past. Rito-Martinez was deported eight times, Irinero Rios Ordaz was deported five times, and Fernando Benitez-Valdez was deported four times.