A longtime elevator mechanic at Los Angeles International Airport has been charged with smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States by leading them out of the terminal before they were inspected by federal authorities.
Roberto Amaya Canchola, 53, was arrested at the airport Aug. 23 after a sting operation involving federal immigration agents. Authorities believe the North Hills resident smuggled in at least 15 illegal immigrants, including two with criminal records who had previously been deported. They all arrived on Mexicana flights from Guanajuato, Mexico, officials said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. attorney’s office are still investigating the allegations. Agents believe that Canchola was only one player in a larger smuggling organization and that he probably was used for his airport access.
“We don’t know at this time how big it is,” said Louis Rodi, assistant special agent in charge of immigration and customs investigations at the airport. “We believe he is not the biggest player. . . . We are targeting the larger organization.”
Canchola’s attorney, Paul Horgan, declined to comment on the accusations.
Rodi said the allegations show that there may be holes in security because of ongoing construction at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Canchola “knew security and he knew where the holes were on any given day,” Rodi said.
But airport officials said it is highly unlikely that gaps in security are occurring due to the construction. Canchola, a city employee for 23 years, had been cleared by both the airport and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to access the restricted area, said Nancy Castles, public relations director for Los Angeles World Airports.
