Mexican Citizen Sentenced to Time Served for Alien Smuggling

Portland, Maine: Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy announced that Silvino Orduna-Cabrera, 40, a Mexican citizen, was sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge D. Brock Hornby to time served (63 days) for alien smuggling.  The defendant pleaded guilty on August 31, 2017.  He is subject to deportation.

According to court documents, on July 17, 2017, the defendant dropped off two Mexican citizens who had previously been removed from the United States on the Canadian side of the border with the United States near Norton, Vermont.  The defendant then drove into the United States at the Norton Port of Entry. The two Mexican citizens walked across the border illegally and were picked up by the defendant who drove them to Maine. The investigation began the next day when a roadside worker found a passport belonging to one of the Mexican citizens near Norton. The worker gave the passport to a Border Patrol agent assigned to the Beecher Falls, Vermont station which placed an alert regarding a possible smuggling event that led to the Mexican citizens’ arrests in Maine.

U.S. Border Patrol Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent John Pfeifer stated that: “this case is an excellent example of the regular information sharing between the components of the Department of Homeland Security to prevent criminal aliens from entering into and remaining in the United States.  The Swanton Sector also appreciates the local citizens and workers that alert agents to potential criminal activity.”

The investigation was conducted by the U.S.  Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.