Prolific Alien Smuggler Extradited from Brazil to Face Charges in the United States

Bangladeshi national Saiful Islam, 39, will make his initial appearance in Laredo, Texas, today after being extradited from Brazil. An indictment in the Southern District of Texas was unsealed today charging Islam for his role in a conspiracy that smuggled numerous aliens through Central America to the United States. According to court documents, Islam participated in a wide-ranging human smuggling operation and assisted other smugglers by facilitating the travel of aliens from São Paulo, Brazil, and other locations in South America, Central America, and Mexico so that the aliens could illegally enter the United States. The aliens were brought to the Southern border and were instructed to cross into the United States by wading across the Rio Grande River or by jumping a border fence. Islam is charged with conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States, multiple counts of bringing an alien to the United States for financial gain, and conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to enter the United States. If convicted of bringing an alien to the United States for financial gain, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of three or five years in prison and he faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. If he is convicted of conspiracy to bring and/or conspiracy to encourage and induce and alien to enter the United States, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.