MuskogeePhoenix.com, Muskogee, OK

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January 16, 2008

More illegal aliens arrested on I-40

By Elizabeth Ridenour





Three days after 16 illegal aliens were picked up by sheriff’s deputies on Interstate 40, 15 more were taken into custody Wednesday, said Muskogee County Sheriff Charles Pearson.

At approximately 2 p.m., Deputy James Burke stopped a Ford F150 pickup with a camper for a traffic violation in the eastbound lanes of I-40 in Muskogee County. Although the camper had dark windows, Burke discovered the 15 illegal immigrants, Pearson said.

“They were weaving back and forth across the center line,” he said.

Sunday, Deputy Jimmy Williams found 16 illegal immigrants in a 2000 Ford Excursion on I-40 near Webbers Falls. That vehicle also was stopped for a traffic violation.

The arrests of the illegal immigrants were the result of deputies working drug interdiction on I-40, Pearson said.

“I-40 and the Muskogee Turnpike are where a lot of methamphetamine is coming into Muskogee County,” Pearson said. “We’ve done away with drug labs, so methamphetamine is being brought in by truckloads. This is the only way we can stop it.

“We haven’t gotten any drugs, but we’ve gotten plenty of illegal aliens. We’re not out there looking for this.”

Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement picked up the 16 illegal immigrants who were taken to the Muskogee County/City Detention Facility on Sunday. The other 15 were taken to the detention facility, where they are awaiting transport.



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