A Bangladeshi national has pleaded guilty to smuggling undocumented immigrants from Mexico into the United States for private financial gains, according to the US Department of Justice.

Moktar Hossain, 31, has admitted that from Mar 2017 to Aug 2018, he conspired to bring and brought Bangladeshi nationals to the United States at the Texas border in exchange for payment.

The Justice Department said Moktar operated out of Monterrey, Mexico where he housed undocumented immigrants before sending them on the last leg of the journey to the United States. He allegedly paid drivers to transport the migrants to the US border and gave them instructions on how to cross the Rio Grande River.

"Human smuggling is a national security threat,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

“Today’s plea makes clear that defendants who smuggle illegal aliens across the United States border for profit should expect to face the consequences in a United States courtroom,” he added. Moktar had allegedly brought 14 Bangladeshi nationals into the US through the Laredo sector between Mar 2017 to Aug 2018.

As reported earlier by Bangla Tribune, Laredo, a town along the US-Mexico border in Texas, accounts for the maximum number of arrests of undocumented Bangladeshis compared to other Border sectors.

During FY2018,  Laredo Sector agents apprehended 668 Bangladeshi migrants — up nearly 270 percent over the previous year’s total. Officials say these migrants paid up to $27,000 each to be moved into the U.S. by cartel-connected human smugglers.

The crossings are made through the Rio Grand River in south Laredo. A few Bangladeshis have died while crossing this river and at least four were saved from drowning by patrol agents last year. 

There’s no particular reason why maximum Bangladeshi nationals try to get into the United States through this crossing. Officials say cartel-connected human smugglers control the routes and they decide who they are going to cross and from where.

Moktar's guilty plea has been accepted by the court. The sentencing has not yet been scheduled.