10 kids rescued from Phoenix drop house
PHOENIX - Ten children were rescued from smugglers who threatened to rape and kill some of them if their parents didn’t pay more money for their entry into the U.S., authorities said Friday.
The children, 2 to 17 years old, were smuggled from Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala, and were being held at a drop house in Phoenix, officials said. Only one of them was brought into the country with a parent.
The smugglers threatened to rape and kill three Salvadoran sisters ages 12, 14 and 16 if their mother didn’t pay $10,000, Arizona Department of Public Safety Capt. Fred Zumbo said.
The girls’ mother, who is living legally in the U.S. in the San Francisco area, called the FBI for help, and Phoenix police and other agencies took over from there. Police found the home where the girls were being held, and found them and the other children when a SWAT team raided it Thursday night.
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