Man charged with smuggling Mexican citizen into U.S. by raft at Wellesley Island



Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
Thu, April 6, 2023 at 6:25 PM EDT



Apr. 6—FINEVIEW — A Mexican citizen is charged with illegally bringing a fellow Mexican citizen into the United States by raft across the St. Lawrence River to Wellesley Island.

Santiago Casas-Perez, age unavailable, is charged in U.S. District Court, Syracuse, with conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, while Pedro Galindo-Casas, age also unavailable, is charged with illegal entry by an alien.

According to court documents, U.S. Border Patrol agents were advised by a concerned citizen at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday of two individuals hiding behind trees on a golf course on Wellesley Island.

One of the agents observed the two individuals walking away from the area, identified himself as a Border Patrol agent and questioned the pair, who both said they were citizens of Mexico.

According to court documents, after a brief interview it was determined that the men did not have documentation that would allow them to enter or remain in the U.S. legally and they were arrested.

A subsequent review of surveillance equipment allegedly revealed a black Honda sedan bearing a California license plate leaving Wellesley Island near the time the mens' arrest. According to court documents, the registered owner of the Honda was woman who had previously been arrested for alien smuggling at the San Isidro, California, port of entry.

Court documents state that Mr. Casas-Perez waived his Miranda rights and agreed to answer agents' questions without an attorney present.

He allegedly told agents that he entered the U.S. illegally in May 2022 and was staying with a female in Canastota, Madison County. He said that he was working for the woman, also the registered owner of the Honda, at a Mexican restaurant she owns "to pay off a debt he owes her."

Mr. Casas-Perez allegedly said that he traveled to the U.S.-Canada border to assist in smuggling Mr. Galindo-Casas across the border by raft. He said he was dropped off by the woman on the U.S. side of the border and used a raft that was at the golf course to cross the St. Lawrence River and enter Canada.

He allegedly admitted that he picked up Mr. Galindo-Casas in Canada and returned with him to the U.S. without being inspected and without proper documentation to be in the country legally.

Mr. Galindo-Casas similarly waived his Miranda rights, according to court documents, and to agents that he had flown on March 9 from Mexico City to Toronto, "where he claimed asylum with the intention of entering the U.S. illegally." He said he was staying at a hotel in Kingston, Ontario, awaiting contact from the owner of the Honda on WhatsApp. He claimed the woman was going to drive him to Canastota is exchange for $10,000.

He said once he was given the location of where he was to meet Mr. Casas-Perez, he took a cab to Skydeck Road on Hill Island, Ontario, and was then taken raft across the border to where they were to meet the woman's vehicle.

Both men made a initial federal court appearances Tuesday and were remanded to U.S. Marshal's custody pending detention hearings, with Mr. Casas-Perez's hearing scheduled for Monday and Mr. Galindo-Casas's scheduled for Wednesday.

No charges had been filed against the woman as of Thursday.


https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-charg...222500986.html