Chinese UDAs caught after daylong search

By Jon Johnson
Assistant Editor
Published on Friday, November 6, 2009 11:28 AM MST

Multiple police agencies worked together Wednesday to capture six Chinese illegal aliens after a daylong search.

According to a report from the Graham County Sheriff's Office, a Bureau of Land Management officer reported a vehicle possibly carrying undocumented aliens traveling north on Haekle Road toward Highway 70 at about 9:20 a.m.

Deputy Edward Acres was in the area and located the suspect's dark blue Chevy Suburban. He attempted to pull it over when it ran the stop sign at the intersection of Haekle Road and Highway 70 and headed east.

Acres followed the Suburban at speeds exceeding 90 miles an hour and witnessed it make an abrupt u-turn at mile post 353 and head west on Highway 70.

The vehicle then turned south on a dirt road, and Acres followed it for about half a mile until Sheriff P.J. Allred told him to follow at a distance due to concerns the vehicle would wreck.

Acres followed the dust created by the Suburban to a Y intersection, where he observed skid marks indicating the vehicle had turned east toward Hackberry Ranch. He followed the tire tracks to Hackberry Ranch Road and met other officers who had joined the pursuit, but the suspects could not be found.

The pursuit was temporarily called off, and Allred and other law enforcement officers held a meeting to discuss what to do next. During the meeting, Allred received a call from a rancher who had spotted the suspect's vehicle and the pursuit restarted. Acres headed back out toward Hackberry Ranch, but his patrol vehicle broke down and he had to have it towed back to Safford.

Sheriff Allred and Pima Chief Dianne Cauthen and Sgt. Stirling Shupe continued to Hackberry Ranch along with other officers, including Safford Detective Jason Knight, in an attempt to locate the UDAs.

Cauthen told the Courier that Shupe had been in the area during the original call working a Stonegarden detail, and she decided to join him when the call went out as a pursuit. She said deputy Eric Mayhew covered the town of Pima during the time she and Shupe were chasing the suspects.

The UDAs ditched their vehicle and hiked through the desert about 10 miles east of the sand dunes, according to Cauthen. Allred and the other officers continued to hike through the mountain areas, searching for the suspects while a BLM ranger hiked to the top of a hill. Eventually the ranger spotted the UDAs in the canyon below. He was able to guide the officers to the UDAs location, and the suspects were taken into custody. Cauthen said the officers had to hike about 5 miles to catch the suspects.

"As hard as they ran from us, we were thinking that they were running drugs, but nothing was in there," she said.

According to Cauthen, this was the fourth load of Chinese nationals that have been turned over to the Border Patrol in the past month. She said the coyotes who smuggle the UDAs make $40,000 per Chinese national as opposed to $10,000 per Mexican. She said the Chinese are apparently flown to Russia, than flown to Central America and make their way into the United States through Mexico.

Cauthen said it was about 4 p.m. when the officers made it back to Highway 70 with the suspects. They were eventually turned over to the Border Patrol.

Print this story Email this story Post A Comment

Comments

10 comment(s)

Strikebreaker wrote on Nov 12, 2009 1:33 AM:

" Good combined Effort and co-operation!Eventually we are going to see Mid- Eastern Extremists through these smuggling routes and corridors. Thanks for your Good Work! "

Getting Tuff wrote on Nov 8, 2009 6:08 AM:

" I wonder what the percentage of UDAs are actually apprehended. With over twelve million roaming around the USA, it's obvious a large portion of them are never caught.

Good thing we now have a President who's going to get tough on this stuff, just as soon as he makes a decision on troop levels in Afghanistan. "

Border Patrol wrote on Nov 7, 2009 6:28 PM:

" Seems like they need a Border Patrol Sub-station in the Gila Valley. "

Illegal aliens. wrote on Nov 7, 2009 6:27 PM:

" They are not UDA's. That term is old and outdated, the Border Patrol doesn't even use it anymore. The correct term is "Illegal aliens". "

Zipper wrote on Nov 7, 2009 2:38 PM:

" If four loads of Chinese UDA's have been caught, how many have gone on Scott Free? Were these who were apprehended jailed, sent back or turned loose? Friends, take heed, these people are not tourists here to see our beautiful country. There is a deep, dark motif in their entry. It needs to be stopped now. Wake Up America! "

PimaTwo wrote on Nov 7, 2009 8:14 AM:

" Chinese hugh? Maybe these fine examples were just headin to the mine site in Safford to work and would have returned home latter that night. Just like Migrants do all the time.
Now we can all see what the real problem is. What if this would have been a truckload of ??? nationals headed to town to rape and pilage or better yet just kill you as the infidels you are.
Strange things are happening around the world right now very strange indeed. Better keep you eyes open were close to the border. "

Do my eyes... wrote on Nov 6, 2009 8:21 PM:

" ...deceive me? I just assumed based on his political affiliation that Bill Richardson was a "bleeding heart, come one, come all" liberal. I kid, of course. Actually, I remember listening to the debates back when he was in the running against Obama and Hillary, thinking, "This guy has some really good, practical and sensible ideas with regard to immigration reform. I hope he gets nominated!" Of course, reform ideas weren't the deciding factor after all; it ultimately came down to whether America wanted a Black man, a Woman, or a Hispanic in office. Visionaries we people are... "

New Business wrote on Nov 6, 2009 3:18 PM:

" $10-40K per head?

I am on the wrong business! Maybe I can get some stimulus money, buy a few vans, hire some people and create new jobs! "

E wrote on Nov 6, 2009 1:53 PM:

" Poor Edward what a day to have broken down in the middle of the chase. That sucks. Hope you get the next ones! "

Lorita wrote on Nov 6, 2009 1:39 PM:

" Y'all need a law like Governor Richardson signed about no Human Trafickking. There's even a PSA with a phone number people can call in Albuquerque to report slavery, etc. There's a laundry list of disgusting things one can report. If you had a stout law prohibiting smuggling humans, it might help some. By the way. Are these guys Chinese Uighers? If so, you got some islamic militants. I really feel repulsed when I read about these human traficking cases. So barbaric, so sickening. "

WRITE A COMMENT

READER COMMENTS
* Be respectful of others, the writer and the subjects in the story.

* Be relevant. Keep your comments pertinent to the story that is being discussed.

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All reader comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The Eastern Arizona Courier is not liable for messages from third parties. IP addresses can be subpoenaed and your identity established by individuals who have been hurt by your comments.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity: You can be prosecuted for identity theft.
* Comments unrelated to the story.

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in www.eacourier.com reader comments represent the individual's own views and not those of the Eastern Arizona Courier. The Courier does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than Eastern Arizona Courier spokespersons.

Thank you for your comments!