A Syrian national accused of leading an international human smuggling operation that moved hundreds of migrants into the United States was extradited to Texas last week following a joint federal investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations.
Federal authorities said Jalal Maklad Adeeb was taken into U.S. custody on March 1 in San Jose, Costa Rica, and transported to El Paso to face charges related to a smuggling conspiracy that allegedly transported migrants through Mexico and across the U.S. border.
According to Homeland Security Investigations, Adeeb was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of New Mexico on Aug. 18, 2025. He is charged with conspiracy to bring illegal aliens into the United States for financial gain, bringing illegal aliens into the country for financial gain, and aiding and abetting.
Homeland Security Investigations officials said the case was investigated over the past year and a half by HSI El Paso as part of the Homeland Security Task Force, with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, HSI Panama and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Investigators said Adeeb allegedly operated a smuggling network based out of Mexico City that moved migrants from South America through Mexico and into the United States through El Paso. Federal authorities allege the operation primarily targeted migrants from Arabic-speaking countries who were transported through established smuggling routes before crossing the border.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Taekuk Cho of Homeland Security Investigations El Paso said Adeeb was believed to be responsible for coordinating the movement of hundreds of migrants and collecting large sums of money in smuggling fees.
“Adeeb Maklad Adeeb was the leader of an international criminal network responsible for smuggling hundreds of illegal aliens into the United States through El Paso, Texas, from predominantly Arabic-speaking countries,” Cho said. “He was deemed a national security threat, and his extradition to the United States to face justice reflects the coordinated efforts of HSI alongside our federal and international partners.”
Cho said identifying and dismantling transnational smuggling organizations remains a core mission for Homeland Security Investigations and the Homeland Security Task Force.
Federal agents traveled to Costa Rica earlier this month to take custody of Adeeb after he was detained by authorities there. Officials then facilitated his extradition to the United States, where he will face federal prosecution.
According to investigators, Adeeb allegedly charged migrants approximately $4,500 per person to move them from South America to the United States through Mexico. Authorities estimate the smuggling operation generated more than $800,000 in fees.
Following his extradition, Adeeb was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he remains in custody awaiting further court proceedings.
The case is being prosecuted with support from Joint Task Force Alpha, a partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security that focuses on investigating and prosecuting large-scale human smuggling and trafficking operations affecting U.S. border security. Federal officials said the task force targets criminal organizations that facilitate illegal migration and other immigration-related crimes tied to public safety and national security concerns.
