U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest | U.S. Department of Justice
Luis Fernando Barragan-Palacios, a 29-year-old resident of Queens, New York, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for human smuggling. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier on January 9, 2025. No supervised release was imposed as Barragan-Palacios is expected to be deported to Mexico following his imprisonment.
Barragan-Palacios had previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to transport individuals who entered the United States illegally. Court records indicate that he conducted approximately 30 smuggling trips from August 2023 to January 2024. During these trips, he transported nearly 100 migrants from the Canadian border into Vermont and onward to the New York City area, earning around $500,000.
His arrest occurred in January 2024 after a high-speed chase initiated when he failed to stop for a marked Border Patrol vehicle near the Canadian border. The pursuit took place under wintry conditions and reached speeds of up to 85 mph. At the time of his arrest, six migrants were found lying in the bed of his rented pickup truck or seated unbelted in its cab.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest praised the investigative work of the United States Border Patrol in this case. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Lasher and Colin Owyang, while Barragan-Palacios was defended by Assistant Federal Public Defender Barclay Johnson.
