Arizona battles immigrant smuggling

PHOENIZ, Ariz., Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Arizona faces a number of court battles in what could turn out to be illegal efforts to crackdown on immigrant smuggling by following the money trail.

One federal law enforcement officer says the tactics Arizona prosecutors consider essential in the effort could be characterized as "either brilliant or illegal," The Washington Post reports.

Just this month a Maricopa County Superior Court judge struck down a technique known as a damming warrant that allowed the state to seize money transfers of $500 or more into certain Western Union locations.

The effort began with offices in Arizona only but Attorney General Terry Goddard expanded it to include all transfers from 26 states to Western Union outlets in the northern Mexican state of Sonora.

Western Union successfully sued to block the Sonora warrant.

Still pending is another suit by some Western Union customers who say the attorney general's office seized their money and never returned it.