New York woman pleads guilty to smuggling 3 Indians into US from Canada
2 min readUpdated: Aug 12, 2026 03:33 PM IST
A New York woman has pleaded guilty to helping smuggle four people, including three Indian nationals, into the US after they crossed the border from Canada on foot in freezing conditions in January 2025, the US Justice Department said.
The border security agents found out that a woman — 43-year-old Stacey Taylor — drove four men — three Indians and a Canadian — into the United States without permission.
US Border Patrol agents stopped Taylor’s vehicle near Churubusco, New York, after four men who had crossed the US-Canada border on foot got into her car.
How the smuggling attempt unfolded
In a media release, the US Department of Justice said the four “illegal aliens” unlawfully entered the United States on foot through a wooded area.
Taylor, who received their coordinates and instructions to pick them up, then took them in her car and drove them further into the interior of the United States.
“After law enforcement stopped her vehicle, Taylor admitted that she picked up the four aliens and expected to receive payment for doing so,” stated the department.
What investigators found on Taylor’s phone
The review of text messages on her phone indicated that she had been involved in multiple other human smuggling operations before.
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After her January 2025 arrest, Taylor was stopped in a suspected smuggling venture in August and was implicated in another smuggling operation in September, according to the DOJ.
She has now pleaded guilty to her involvement in conspiring to smuggle four people (the January 2025 case) for financial gain, and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 3 this year. According to the US Department of Justice, she faces a statutory minimum penalty of five years in jail.
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