Saturday, December 2, 2006


Disabled Van Leads To Second Human Smuggling Case
Illegal Immigrants Found Near Clear Creek High School



Video: Crash Involving Human Smuggling No Surprise To State Authorities



EVERGREEN, Colo. -- Three men were arrested Thursday in a possible case of human smuggling, two days after a crash that led to the arrest of another man for investigation of the same charge in a separate case.
A Clear Creek County sheriff's deputy responding to a call about noon on Thursday of three suspicious men near Clear Creek High School found the men in a van near Interstate 70 with 11 other people, all suspected of being illegal immigrants from Mexico, sheriff's officials said.
The van had stopped after it broke down due to a hole it its radiator, authorities said.
Jorge Trujillo Gonzalez, 35; Ignacio Alejandro Hernandez-Trujillo, 30; and Reydavid Valdez Pacheco, 30, were arrested on various charges. The status of the other 11 passengers was not immediately known.
Clear Creek High School is located in Beaver Brook Canyon, at the Clear Creek, Jefferson County line and has an Evergreen address.
On Tuesday, a van carrying 15 people crashed near Idaho Springs, killing four of the passengers. Jose Franco-Rodriguez, the driver, was arrested on charges including human smuggling.