A Syrian national, Jalal Makland Adeeb, was extradited from Costa Rica to the United States to face federal human trafficking charges in New Mexico, according to a March 25 announcement by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison.
Adeeb, 39, was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 26, 2025, for conspiracy to bring in illegal aliens for financial gain. He was taken into custody by U.S. authorities from Costa Rican officials on March 1 and made his initial court appearance in New Mexico on March 6. Adeeb will remain detained pending trial. If convicted, he faces a minimum of three years and up to ten years in prison.
The case is being prosecuted by the Las Cruces Branch Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico and is supported by the Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), which leads efforts against high-impact human smuggling and trafficking conducted by cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). JTFA investigates and prosecutes related immigration crimes that affect public safety and border security throughout the Americas.
JTFA’s work has led to more than 450 arrests both domestically and internationally of leaders or significant facilitators involved in alien smuggling or trafficking; more than 395 convictions; over 340 significant jail sentences; and forfeitures of substantial assets.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established under Executive Order 14159. The HSTF brings together multiple government agencies with an emphasis on combating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, TCOs, as well as child trafficking cases within the United States and abroad.
Ellison said: "All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
