Phoenix taco shop owner in custody amid human smuggling, immigration probe

12 News ^ | July 9, 2025 | Sean Rice

[TheDon]

PHOENIX — A West Phoenix taco shop owner is in federal custody following a series of coordinated raids by federal agents on Tuesday, part of an ongoing investigation into suspected human smuggling and harboring of migrants in the country illegally.

Multiple sightings of undercover agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were reported across the Valley Tuesday, culminating in the arrest of Vlademir Angulo, the owner of El Taco Loko. The small but well-known local chain operates a restaurant near 67th Avenue and Indian School Road, a food truck in Southwest Phoenix, and a bus-style eatery in Goodyear.

...

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Angulo is currently in federal custody awaiting formal charges. While the office declined to specify what charges he will face, officials said more details would be released publicly on Thursday.

The investigation is reportedly tied to federal laws prohibiting the harboring of immigrants lacking permanent legal status, which includes knowingly providing them with employment. The Trump administration had previously signaled aggressive enforcement of these statutes, with former Acting ICE Director Tom Homan warning that employers found violating federal immigration laws could face felony charges.

...

[TheDon]

This story should bring cheer to those who want employers of illegal aliens prosecuted!

More ICE please!

[TheDon]

Title 8, U.S.C. § 1324(a)

Lots of people will be heading to federal prison over these laws.

[frank ballenger]

RE: While the office declined to specify what charges he will face, officials said more details would be released publicly on Thursday.

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Pam Bondi is going over the thick binders now and the full report for this Phoenix case will be discussed in detail right after the public release of the complete Epstein lists. Later this week. Or next week. Or sometime.

[Jeff Chandler]

Don’t worry. Phoenix is nowhere near being a taco desert.

[No name given]

Lots more!

[No name given]

At all.

[No name given]

I hope so.

[Liz]

Vlademir Angulo, is the owner of “El Taco Loko.”
<><>its a small but well-known local chain
<><>operates a restaurant near 67th Ave and Indian School Rd,
<><>a food truck in Southwest Phoenix,
<><>and a bus-style eatery in Goodyear.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Angulo is currently in federal custody awaiting formal charges. While the office declined to specify what charges he will face, officials said more details would be released publicly on Thursday.

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Sigh of relief..../s.

Pam Bondi is going over the thick binders now and the full report for the Phoenix case will be discussed in detail .........right after Pam’s public release of the complete Epstein lists.........later this week.... next week.

Or next year....after Pam gets full highlights and a bit of a trim for her multiple Fox News appearances.

[jonrick46]

Employers who hire border jumpers, want workers who will work like slaves on low wages. The jobs are taken away from workers needing work at living wages.

[BFW]

Lock them up and do an IRS audit with a endo-scope then confiscate every illegally make dollar and anything else too.

[metmom]

They make it sound like the poor taco shop owner is a victim when in fact, the taco shop was no doubt the front for his operations.

I’m sick of how criminals are coddled and pandered to in this country.

[philman_36]

🎲 Come on Houston! 🎲

[DeplorableTrumpSupporter]

Vlademir Angulo, the owner of El Taco Loko.

Is he Legal?

[Lurker]

Good.

Prosecute him until his eyes bleed.

L

[Flaming Conservative]

There is a Mexican restaurant in our little one stoplight town. The staff are all Hispanic, and has several very short waiters who speak almost no English, other than drinks and menu items. Everyone is very friendly and nice, but I often wonder what the immigration status is of these waiters.

[Dr. Sivana]

Phoenix is nowhere near being a taco desert.

I find that annoying. At my workplace cafeteria, the "specials" of the day are generally tacos or burritos. How about some meat loaf, sloppy joes, or spare ribs? There are "-berto" restaurants everywhere, all the same. Fortunately, Phoenix is a big enough city that it is easy to find pretty much everything, especially food for transplants (passable pizza, Chicago dogs, Philly steaks, non-passable pizza [e.g. Detroit-style]). The most interesting "local" quick food I have found are Sonoran Dogs, Navaho Fry Bread (fried dough, sadly tomato sauce is generally NOT an option), Wine-Burgers.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

How about some meat loaf, sloppy joes, or spare ribs?

Tacos and burritos have inexpensive filler in the form of beans, rice and lettuce. You can even add TVP (textured vegetable protein) to the "meat" and people will not notice.

While you can add some filler to meatloaf and sloppy joes the amount is much smaller and you can't pad spare ribs at all.

[Jeff Chandler]

Out here in the East Valley, I had a recent lunch meeting with a client. I was able to offer them several choices of good, reasonably priced local restaurants:

https://cafezupas.com/location/gilbert
https://osakaaz.com/
https://hangarcafeaz.net/
https://dragonwok.biz/

Of course, there is also good eats on the extremes of the price spectrum:

https://locations.in-n-out.com/219
https://www.hightideseafoodbar.com/

[Vaduz]

Indeed

A West Phoenix taco shop owner is in federal custody.

Talk about a bait front area let them come to you rather then hunt them.

[Bon of Babble]

human smuggling and harboring of migrants in the country illegally.

I'm sure the taco shop owner is confused b/c during the Biden admin this was perfectly legal.