A Colombian woman has been slapped with charges for allegedly coordinating a sophisticated smuggling operation that brought her compatriots into the United States illegally, federal prosecutors said. Greiby Melissa Barcelo-Velasquez, allegedly the mastermind behind a smuggling ring, is now facing federal indictment, with charges that could lock her away for a hefty amount of time if convicted.
Barcelo-Velasquez's alleged operation, cleverly disguised as a travel agency named Baul Travel SAS, was implicated in smuggling over 100 Colombian nationals into the U.S., as per the indictment revealed by the Department of Justice. The agency, which reportedly started its nefarious activities around June 2023, is said to have painted a fraudulent picture of a leisurely vacation to Mexico for its clients, all the while, their true destination was an unlaw entry into the United States via Arizona.
Once cornered snug in Mexico, the unsuspecting migrants were told to fork over additional fees in U.S. currency to Barcelo-Velasquez's associates in places like Cancun International Airport and Hermosillo, Mexico, according to details from the federal indictment. From Hermosillo, these individuals were shuffled to "stash houses" near the U.S.-Mexico border, where they would ultimately be ferried across the border, often by armed individuals.
Not only is the operation charged with the conspiracy to encourage and induce aliens to enter the U.S. unlawfully, a crime that carries a maximum of a decade behind bars and a fine of up to $250,000, but also with bringing illegal aliens into the United States for profit, an offense which entails a mandatory minimum of three years in prison and, can too bring up to $250,000 in fines. It is pertinent to remind, an indictment does not imply guilt, as every accused individual is entitled to trial by jury and presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
This case is currently under the wing of Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol Sector Intelligence and Homeland Security Investigations, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, shoulders the prosecutorial duties.
