Customs and Border Protection components intercept human smuggling attempt

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers from the Champlain Port of Entry and U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Champlain Station recently intercepted a human smuggling operation.

The incident resulted in the arrest of one subject for criminal alien smuggling and two subjects for illegal entry into the United States.

On Dec. 30, CBP officers referred Habib Muhammed, a U.S. citizen traveling from Canada to the United States, to a secondary inspection. While searching his vehicle, they found copies of an Uzbek passport and an Ontario driver’s license application issued in the names of two different Uzbek nationals.

Around the same time, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police informed U.S. Border Patrol agents of the sighting of two subjects about a mile west of Mooers Port of Entry. Agents responded and located two subjects, Davlat Ahmedov and Bahodir Rustamov.

Through the course of the investigation, agents discovered that the subjects matched the identities on the copies of the Uzbek passport and Ontario driver’s license application found in Muhammed’s vehicle.

“Individuals engaging in human smuggling will be processed under U.S. federal statutes,” Assistant Area Port Director Charles J. Guyette said. “CBP deploys a multi-layered approach to secure the Northern Border and CBP Field Operations’ cooperation with the U.S. Border Patrol and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was essential in the successful arrest of a human smuggler and the apprehension of two illegal aliens further securing our mutual border.”