A Colombian man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in a human smuggling operation along the northern U.S. border.
Diego Guisao-Zapata, 41, was sentenced on Friday in Albany after pleading guilty to alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling. According to U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Chief Border Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia of the Swanton Sector, Guisao-Zapata unlawfully entered the United States in 2023 before engaging in smuggling activities.
On August 25, 2024, Guisao-Zapata traveled to Churubusco, New York, near the U.S.-Canada border, where he smuggled two individuals—one from Mexico and another from the Dominican Republic—into the country for profit. He also admitted to having facilitated other illegal border crossings in the past.
Following his prison term, Guisao-Zapata will be transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for removal proceedings. The case was investigated by the United States Border Patrol and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Paulbeck.
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