Truck Driver Smuggled Alien Across Border from Canada
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Yesterday Ergys Metashi, 34, of Ontario, Canada, was sentenced to a term of three (3) years in prison, followed by a three-year term of supervised release, in connection with his conviction after trial for bringing an alien to the United States for the purpose of financial gain, announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian, Homeland Security Investigations, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas DiNicola, and Timothy J. Walker, Area Port Director, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Area Port of Alexandria Bay.
Ergys Metashi, a commercial truck driver originally from Albania who lives and works in Canada, was convicted following a July jury trial in federal court of bringing an alien to the United States from Canada through the Alexandria Bay Port of Entry, New York, on March 31, 2015. The evidence at trial showed that Metashi agreed to smuggle the alien, a fellow Albanian, into the United States by hiding him in the sleeping compartment of a tractor trailer in exchange for the promise of a payment of several thousand American dollars. During an inspection, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers found the alien hiding under a blanket in the truck and arrested Metashi.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael F. Perry.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
