Man arrested for ‘human smuggling’ in Mohave County

Man arrested for 'human smuggling' in Mohave County(Mohave County Sheriff's Office)
Published: Aug. 19, 2022 at 9:03 AM PDT

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A California man was arrested in Arizona for allegedly smuggling illegal immigrants in his vehicle.

Ricardo Escamilla, 53, from Huntington Park, California was stopped around 1:30 a.m. Aug. 17 on Highway 95 near Aztec Road. According to police, several Hispanic subjects were in the back of Escamilla’s vehicle trying to conceal themselves.

The subjects told police they had entered the country illegally, Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said. Escamilla reportedly picked them all up in Phoenix to be transported to California.

MCSO said Escamilla was an illegal immigrant himself, having previously been arrested and deported.

Escamilla faces eight counts of human smuggling, MCSO said.