DOJ Charges 12 in $18M Cuban Alien Smuggling Ring

Twelve individuals have been charged in a sprawling international conspiracy involving alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering that illegally brought thousands of Cuban nationals into the United States for profit. The defendants operated a sham immigration business, ASESORIA Y SERVICIOS MIGRATORIOS LLC, which falsely promised immigration benefits by filing fraudulent visa applications and asylum claims, often exploiting social media and encrypted messaging platforms for promotion. They charged clients between $1,500 and $40,000, even chartering private planes to move groups of illegal aliens, spending over $2.5 million on flights and laundering more than $7 million through payment apps. Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized the DOJ's aggressive stance against human smuggling, highlighting the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha in dismantling this scheme. The defendants used fabricated documents and false claims of European citizenship to facilitate entry into the U.S., with activity spanning from January 2021 to June 2025. This case underscores ongoing challenges in immigration enforcement and the exploitation of vulnerable populations for financial gain.