Brazil Extradites Man to U.S. for Human Smuggling Charges

Brazilian authorities have extradited a man from Bangladesh to the United States, suspecting him of involvement in an illegal alien smuggling operation.

On July 8, Saifullah Al-Mamun, aged 39, was sent to the U.S. amid allegations of being part of a human smuggling ring. According to prosecutors, Al-Mamun, along with two other Bangladeshis, Mohammad Miron Hossain, 46, and Mokhtar Hossain, 38, spent several years engaged in smuggling efforts into the U.S.

Federal prosecutors indicated that the trio operated out of São Paulo, Brazil, coordinating illegal shipments from various regions, including Brazil, South and Central America, as well as Mexico. They reportedly established a hub for illegal immigrants who were waiting to be smuggled into the U.S. The individuals involved were estimated to have paid up to $10,000 apiece for the service provided by Al-Mamun and his accomplices.

Al-Mamun allegedly directed illegal immigrants to a point in Mexico near the Rio Grande, where he provided them with guidance on how to cross the river undetected into Texas.

The Justice Department stated, “Al-Mamun faces charges related to conspiracy for bringing aliens into the United States, among other counts. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 15 years in prison.”

He had been arrested in Brazil on October 31, 2019, as part of the same human smuggling investigation. Since his arrest, Brazilian and American officials had been working together to facilitate his extradition.

Al-Mamun’s co-conspirators, Hossain and Hossain, pleaded guilty to similar human smuggling charges in 2021, each receiving a sentence of 46 months.

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations in Phoenix, with contributions from various agencies, including HSI offices in Washington, D.C., Brazil, and Colombia, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Marshals Service.