53 Illegal Immigrants Detained By Suspected Smugglers in Phoenix

The smugglers are demanding more money -

talk about smugglers blues. Detainees include 2 13 year old girls and a mentally disabled man.

"Smugglers wanted an average of $2,500 for each person's release.

"The single-family home where they were kept had been fortified to prevent escape and weapons were seized at the location. The suspected smugglers also took away the immigrants' shoes so they couldn't run off...

"Authorities on the scene said the immigrants had little food and water and it was unclear how long they had been held inside the house.

"Because the undocumented aliens are held in fortified rooms and do not have access to watches, clocks, telephones, televisions, etc, so when they are interviewed, many do not have a true sense of time and whether hours, days or weeks have passed..."

From the AP: smugglers blues ain't no joke