Report: FBI investigating ring smuggling 'Iraqis and other Middle Eastern' individuals through Mexico at a cost of $20-25,000 each

Above: The Rio Grande river separates Mexico (left) from the United States (right).

The FBI is investigating an alleged human smuggling operation based in Chaparral, N.M., that agents say is bringing "Iraqis and other Middle Eastern" individuals across the Rio Grande from Mexico.

An FBI intelligence report distributed by the Washington, D.C. Joint Terrorism Task Force, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, says the illegal ring has been bringing Iraqis across the border illegally for more than a year...

The FBI report, issued last week, says the smuggling organization "used to smuggle Mexicans, but decided to smuggle Iraqi or other Middle Eastern individuals because it was more lucrative." Each individual would be charged a fee of $20,000 to $25,000, according to the report.

Read the rest at ABC News

Related Link:
Report: New NIE says al-Qaeda likely to use Iraq network for U.S. terrorist attack