A Bangladeshi man extradited from Brazil to the United States has pleaded guilty to smuggling migrants into the country, the US Justice Department said.
Saiful Islam admitted to one count of conspiracy to bring migrants into the United States and two counts of bringing migrants into the country for commercial advantage and private financial gain. The case is being heard in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He was extradited to the United States in April.
Sentencing is set for Feb. 17. He faces a minimum of three years in prison, and a federal judge will decide the final sentence under sentencing guidelines and other legal factors.
According to court documents, Saiful worked with other smugglers to move migrants through Latin America toward the US border. Some travelers were sent along Colombia's coast in dangerous boats, at times run by drunk drivers. Others had to cross the Darien Gap on foot. Some were given identification documents that belonged to other people.
Once the migrants reached the US-Mexico border, they were told to swim across the Rio Grande or climb border fences to get into the country.
Saiful received thousands of dollars for smuggling several migrants. As part of his plea, he agreed to hand over the money collected from them.
He was one of seven Bangladeshis arrested in Brazil on Oct. 31, 2019, in an operation targeting a migrant smuggling network. Another suspect from the group, Saifullah Al-Mamun, was handed over to a federal court in Laredo, Texas, in July.
The investigation was backed by Joint Task Force Alpha, a Justice Department initiative that works with the Department of Homeland Security to identify and arrest members of international migrant smuggling networks. The department thanked Brazilian law enforcement for helping with the arrest and extradition.
