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What happened
Deputy Sheriff Alfredo Navarrette ICE Trained Navarette admitted to passing information about the sheriff's crime-prevention operations to the group, Arpaio said. The deputy also was accused of being part of a separate human trafficking ring that smuggled illegal immigrants from Arizona to California. Navarette, who was once assigned to sheriff's human smuggling unit and was cross-trained as a federal immigration agent, regularly smuggled loads of illegal immigrants, Arpaio said. Detention Officer Sylvia Najera ICE Trained Detention Officer Marcella Hernandez ICE Trained All three officers were ICE trained. They are accused of tipping off drug traffickers and human smugglers about ongoing investigations. Hernandez allegedly had an ongoing personal relationship with a major drug kingpin and was 8-months pregnant with his child. According to court documents, she arranged the transfer of multiple heroin loads and allowed her boyfriend's drug trafficking organization to use her two houses as stash houses. Najera also allegedly had ties to a big drug trafficking ring. Perhaps the most shocking revelation is that Navarrette used to work in the anti-human smuggling unit for a short time, and when officers raided his house, they found two illegal immigrants being housed inside. According to court documents, 37-year-old Navarrette was a member of the drug trafficking organization and drove load vehicles, laundered money, and transported illegal immigrants from Arizona to California, among many other duties.
Response and intervention
Hernandez was charged with illegal control of enterprise, three counts of using electronic communication during a drug transaction, managing/financing a criminal syndicate, two counts of money laundering, conspiracy to sell or transport narcotic drugs, and three counts of possession of narcotic drugs for transportation or sale. She is being held on a $2 million cash bond. Navarrette was charged with 19 counts, including assisting in a criminal syndicate, smuggling humans, and money laundering. He is being held on $1 million cash bond. We are awaiting charging paperwork for Najera. The charges, are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/investigative/mcso-arrests-3-of-their-own-in-smuggling-case-5-24-2011 http://www.policeone.com/officer-misconduct-internal-affairs/articles/3737341-3-Ariz-officers-accused-of-drug-human-smuggling/