New York woman charged in cross-border smuggling of Indian nationals

A 42-year-old woman from Plattsburgh, New York, has been charged in connection with an international smuggling conspiracy that brought individuals, mainly from India, into the United States illegally across the Canadian border.

Stacey Taylor

appeared for an arraignment this week after a federal grand jury in Albany returned an indictment in October, charging her for her alleged involvement in the smuggling operations, officials said on Friday.

Court records reveal that in the early hours of January, US Border Patrol agents stopped Taylor’s vehicle near Churubusco, New York, close to the Quebec border, and discovered four foreign nationals inside, who had just crossed illegally in freezing temperatures. The group included three Indian citizens and one Canadian national, all of whom had entered the United States without inspection.

The indictment charges Taylor with conspiracy to engage in alien smuggling and four counts of alien smuggling for profit, with three counts listed as second or subsequent offences.

If convicted, Taylor faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison for each count of alien smuggling for profit, along with additional penalties for second or subsequent offences, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

The investigation involved multiple agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. Joint Task Force Alpha, which targets transnational criminal organizations, coordinated the effort.

The task force has made over 425 arrests and secured more than 375 convictions nationwide. It operates as part of Operation Take Back America, a Justice Department initiative targeting cartels and border crime.