Four Mexican nationals face charges for a large-scale human smuggling operation at the U.S.-Canadian border that involved police chases and put the public at risk.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement led the investigation, which resulted in the four illegal aliens from Mexico being indicted on May 2. They were charged with conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States and 25 counts of bringing aliens illegally to the United States for profit, according to a news release.
“As alleged, these defendants illegally entered this country and then sought to smuggle hundreds of aliens per week to the United States from Mexico, Central America, and South America through the Canadian border,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Those charged include:
- Edgar Sanchez-Solis, 23, unlawfully residing in Kansas City, Kan.
- Ignacio Diaz-Perez, 35, unlawfully residing in Oakwood, Ga.
- Samuel Diaz-Perez, 26, unlawfully residing in Dublin, Ohio
- Salvador Diaz-Diaz, 32, unlawfully residing in Columbus, Ohio
ICE arrested the defendants at multiple locations throughout the United States and they are currently in custody. Ignacio Diaz-Perez and Salvador Diaz-Diaz had been previously removed from the United States.
ICE authorities allege they helped to illegally smuggle aliens across the Canadian border to the United States for money as part of a larger human smuggling operation.
“These individuals acted in blatant disregard of our nation’s laws, allegedly smuggling hundreds of aliens into the United States for thousands of dollars each,” said Erin Keegan, ICE Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo Special Agent in Charge, in a statement. “They’re alleged to have repeatedly put the public at risk through dangerous vehicle chases with law enforcement further demonstrating their contempt for the law and safety of others.”
According to court documents, the organized smuggling enterprise has been operating for the last two years in Mexico, Canada and the United States. The four defendants were allegedly paid to help smuggle hundreds of aliens per week from Mexico, Central America, and South America through Canada, into northern New York, including Franklin and Clinton Counties.
The aliens or their family members paid thousands of dollars to be smuggled into the United States. The route included flying from Mexico to Canada, typically Toronto or Montreal, and then illegally crossing the northern border, where they were picked up and driven farther into the United States.
The defendants allegedly encouraged smuggled aliens to make testimonial videos touting their services once they made it into the U.S.
“In reality, the defendants imperiled their human cargo and innocent American lives when they repeatedly engaged in life-threatening conduct, including multiple high-speed getaways from law enforcement,” Galeotti said.
According to court documents, those involved in the alien smuggling led local and federal law enforcement officers on high-speed vehicle chases.
- In April 2023, smugglers allegedly fled the Burke Border Patrol Station’s sector at a high rate of speed after setting off a border sensor. Border Patrol successfully stopped the vehicle and apprehended the smugglers, who were transporting seven adult aliens and three minors.
- In May 2023, the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office used a tire deflation device to stop a van carrying aliens after it allegedly failed to yield to both federal and state law enforcement. The smugglers and aliens allegedly fled on foot after the vehicle was disabled.
- In August 2023, a vehicle carrying aliens that was fleeing from Border Patrol drove into Plattsburgh, New York, where it drove erratically, passed vehicles in a congested traffic area, ran a red light, and struck a motorist at an intersection. The driver and six illegal aliens fled the accident scene on foot but eventually were apprehended.
In October 2023, the Times Union did an investigative report on the “explosion in crossings” and uptick of human smuggling through New York’s rural North Country — a network that authorities believed was tied to organized crime groups across North America.
August court filings reviewed by the Times Union document at least 16 intercepted smuggling attempts along the New York border. The article reported that, from 2022 to 2023, agents in the Border Patrol sector that stretches from northern New York into New Hampshire apprehended more migrants — 6,700 — than in the previous 11 years combined, according to statistics the sector’s chief patrol agent shared on social media.
“What we’re seeing is that a large majority of the human smuggling, if not Mexican cartel-based, is organized crime-based,” Carla Freedman, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, told the Times Union.
HSI Rouses Point and U.S. Border Patrol Burke Station led U.S. investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force.
“These charges are a testament to the hard work of the men and women of the United States Border Patrol and its partner agencies,” said Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector, in a statement. “The days of catch-and-release are over, and the reality is clear; if you attempt to enter the United States illegally, if you attempt to smuggle or traffic human beings, you will be apprehended and you will face severe consequences.”
