A Colombian national, Fredis Valencia Palacios, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a scheme to smuggle illegal aliens from Colombia into the United States, which resulted in the rape and murder of Cuban nationals in Florida.
Fredis Valencia Palacios, 30, a Colombian national extradited to the United States in April 2018 to face these charges, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to encourage and induce aliens to come to the Unites States resulting in death as well as three counts of encouraging and inducing aliens to come to the United States resulting in death and placing in jeopardy the lives of any person.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Mark Selby of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
The crime occurred in September 2016, when three Cuban nationals, who were being transported by Valencia Palacios and his co-defendants, were pulled off a boat and thrown overboard. The surviving male victim reported that he heard the co-defendants sexually assault the female victim before cutting her throat and murdering her. The surviving victim also heard the co-defendants cut the other male victim’s throat, killing him.
Valencia Palacios was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez of the Southern District of Florida, who also ordered him to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Valencia Palacios organized and arranged the unlawful smuggling of illegal aliens, transporting them across Colombia toward the Panamanian border, en route to the United States. In 2016, three Cuban nationals arranged with, and paid, the defendants to transport them from Colombia to Panama, as they traveled to the United States, intending to arrive in Miami.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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