(HUFFINGTON POST) Agents from the Department of Homeland Security raided as many as 15 7-Eleven shops in New York and Virginia early Monday morning, according to multiple reports.
Nine store owners and managers have been arrested on charges of harboring and hiring undocumented immigrants, The New York Times reports. The store owners also stand accused of wire fraud and using fake Social Security numbers to pay their workers.
Federal authorities said that the raids are a part of an investigation into human smuggling, identity theft and money laundering, according to the AP. The respective store owners allegedly helped smuggle the workers into the U.S. from Pakistan.
