Bangladeshi human trafficker sentenced in USA

A Bangladeshi national formerly residing in Monterrey, Mexico, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a scheme to smuggle aliens from Mexico into the United States.

The verdict was handed down by a U.S. court on Thursday (January 7th), local time.

According to the plea agreement, Moktar Hossain admitted that from March 2017 to August 2018, he conspired to bring, and did bring, Bangladeshi nationals to the United States at the Texas border in exchange for payment.

Hossain operated out of Monterrey, Mexico, where he maintained a hotel that housed aliens on their way to the United States.

Hossain paid drivers to transport the aliens to the U.S. border, and gave the aliens instructions on how to cross the Rio Grande river.

“The defendant was a key player in an organized smuggling network that operated for profit and preyed on Bangladeshi nationals who wanted to enter the United States illegally,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General David P. Burns of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

“This sentence serves as a clear deterrent to participants of such transnational criminal organizations who seek to undermine the security of our borders by illegally facilitating the travel of foreigners into the United States for a financial gain.”

“Border security and national security are one in the same,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick for the Southern District of Texas. “We must know who is coming into the country, and we cannot allow unfiltered access. My office continues to work with all our partners executing this mission.”