PHOENIX -- Phoenix police said 11 juveniles were rescued Thursday from a drop house and three suspected human smugglers were taken into custody.
Police say it appears the juveniles were smuggled into the country without their parents. The children came from various locations in Mexico, Colombia and El Salvador.
They say one of the minors is a 2-year-old girl. A 6-year-old boy, a 7-year-old girl and at least three teenage girls also were rescued.
Federal agents and Phoenix police raided the drop house on South 7th Avenue on Thursday afternoon and arrested two men and a woman.
They say the suspected smugglers were attempting to extort money from the juveniles' parents and threatening to sexually assault the teenage girls.
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