Deputies raid candlemaker in Chandler; 65 are arrested
by Megan Boehnke and JJ Hensley
Sept. 11, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
For the third time in less than three months, Sheriff's deputies have raided a Valley business, this time a south Chandler candle-making company, and used the state's employer-sanctions law to round up suspected undocumented workers and investigate whether executives knowingly hired them.
The raid at Gold Canyon Candle Company on Wednesday resulted in 65 arrests, including 23 for identity theft, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office announced.
Deputies held 300 employees for about six hours inside the company headquarters on Arizona Avenue and Riggs Road, where its manufacturing plant and distribution centers are also housed, refusing to let anyone in or out of the building, company spokeswoman Rebecca Clyde said.
"Even the executives aren't being allowed to leave. They probably haven't even had lunch yet," Clyde said Wednesday afternoon outside the building.
She said when the company attorney tried to verify the names of the wanted or to see the arrests firsthand, authorities rejected him.
"That's a problem because obviously we'd like to know, and we've been denied a lot of information," Clyde said.
The series of raids continue to snare employees but have not resulted in the arrests of any business owners.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2008/09/11/20080911chandlerraid0911.html
