PHOENIX – A Colombian woman has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for leading an illegal smuggling operation that brought over 100 Colombian nationals into the United States through Arizona, federal prosecutors announced.
Greiby Melissa Barcelo-Velasquez, 39, was sentenced last week by U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi for Conspiracy to Encourage and Induce an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States.
How Did the Smuggling Operation Work?
According to court documents, Barcelo-Velasquez owned and operated Baul Travel SAS, a travel agency in Colombia, since June 2023. She used the business as a front to smuggle migrants into the U.S.
She met with Colombian nationals in Colombia, charging them a fee and arranging their travel to Mexico under the false pretense of a vacation.
Migrants were instructed to pay bribes in Cancun or Mexico City to officials using U.S. currency to facilitate their movement.
Once in Hermosillo, Mexico, migrants were taken to stash houses near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Armed smugglers then escorted them to the border, where they illegally crossed into the U.S.
Federal Task Force Cracks Down on Smuggling
Barcelo-Velasquez was arrested following an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol’s Sector Intelligence Unit and Homeland Security Investigations. The case was part of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), a multi-agency effort to dismantle transnational criminal organizations involved in human smuggling and trafficking across Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia.
Since its launch, JTFA has secured over 320 convictions, leading to more than 265 significant jail sentences and the seizure of criminal assets.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart Zander and Adriana Genco prosecuted the case in Arizona’s District Court.
