Rachel C. Hernandez Acting United States Attorney for the District of Arizona | U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona has charged 260 individuals with immigration-related offenses during a week of enforcement operations from March 22 to March 28, 2025. The charges include 96 cases of illegal re-entry into the United States and 155 cases of illegal entry.
Additionally, the United States filed charges against 9 individuals for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. These cases were developed in collaboration with federal partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations, ICE Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
One notable case involves Greiby Melissa Barcelo-Velasquez, a Colombian national sentenced to 30 months in prison on March 25, 2025. She was convicted for conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to unlawfully enter the United States. Barcelo-Velasquez, associated with Baul Travel SAS, coordinated the smuggling of over 100 illegal aliens from Colombia to the United States. The case highlighted the collaboration of Joint Task Force Alpha. The case number is CR-24-00392-PHX-JJT.
