TEXAS
A Bangladeshi national formerly residing in Monterrey, Mexico, plead guilty Tuesday for his role in a scheme to smuggle illegal immigrants to the United States for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain, according to officials.
With the plea, Moktar Hossain, 31, admitted that from March 2017 to August 2018, he conspired to bring and brought Bangladeshi nationals to the United States at the Texas border in exchange for payment, officials stated.
Hossain operated out of Monterrey, Mexico, where he housed aliens before sending them on the last leg of the journey to the United States, according to officials.
Hossain paid drivers to transport the aliens to the U.S. border, and gave them instructions how to cross the Rio Grande River.
“HSI is committed to dismantling criminal schemes that mitigate the security of our borders and disrupting the flow of illicit money to these criminal networks,” said Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden of U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio.
Adding, “HSI remains steadfast in aggressively pursuing members of transnational criminal organizations that exploit and endanger the people they smuggle into the United States. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to maintain the integrity of our borders and the safety of our communities.”
Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.