Washington, Dec 6 (IANS) A 42-year-old woman from upstate New York has been indicted for her alleged role in an international human smuggling network that federal prosecutors say moved foreign nationals -- primarily Indian citizens -- across the US-Canada border in multiple illicit crossings this year.
Stacey Taylor of Plattsburgh appeared for arraignment on Monday after a federal grand jury in Albany returned an indictment on October 2, charging her with one count of conspiracy to engage in alien smuggling and four counts of alien smuggling for profit.
Three of those counts are classified as "second or subsequent offences". If convicted, she faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison for each smuggling-for-profit count, with additional penalties for repeat violations.
According to court records, Taylor first came under scrutiny on January 20, when US Border Patrol agents interdicted her vehicle near Churubusco, New York, in the early morning hours. Agents "located four foreign nationals inside her vehicle," authorities said, after determining that "the four men, three Indian nationals and one Canadian national, had just crossed the US-Canadian border illegally, without inspection, in the cold."
A review of Taylor's cellphone revealed text messages that investigators say tied her to "multiple other smuggling ventures in the days prior". Federal authorities further allege that after her January arrest, she "was subsequently stopped in a suspected alien smuggling venture in August 2025, and was implicated in alien smuggling as recently as September 2025."
The charges were announced by Matthew R. Galeotti, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, and US Attorney John A. Sarcone III for the Northern District of New York.
Illegal crossings along the northern border have drawn increased attention in recent years, particularly involving migrant flows from India that have shifted routes amid tighter enforcement along the southwest front.
US officials say smuggling networks have adapted quickly, often exploiting remote and frigid terrain in New York and Vermont to ferry migrants into the United States.
The US-Canada border, the world's longest international boundary, has witnessed a steady rise in unlawful entries since 2022, prompting expanded patrols and cross-border cooperation. India continues to feature among the top source countries for migrants apprehended along this stretch.
--IANS
lkj/sd/
