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Seven Unlawful Entrants Apprehended on Northern Border, Including Smuggler of Minor Child
Burlington, Vermont – Seven unlawful entrants were apprehended on the Canadian Border between December 23 and December 25, 2025. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that the United States Border Patrol apprehended the individuals, including a smuggler of a minor child, on the northern border.
Joneyker Rafael Ramos Guillen, 20, of Venezuela, has been charged with bringing aliens to the United States who lacked official authorization to enter, including Byron Guillermo Gonzabay Giron, 47, of Ecuador, Lixia Nong, 23, of China, Zhongyue Xiang, 62, of Portugal, and a 17-year-old unaccompanied minor from Brazil.
Gonzabay Giron, Nong, and Xiang were all charged with illegal entry into the United States. According to court records, Border Patrol detected an unlawful entry at approximately 7:00 am on December 23, 2025. A Border Patrol agent responded to the area and followed the trail, discovering a group of people in the trees walking toward the village of North Troy.
When directed to stop, the group instead scattered and fled. Over the next hour, Border Patrol agents tracked and pursued the five people, apprehending Ramos Guillen, Gonzabay Giron, Nong, Xiang, and the unaccompanied minor.
Two additional unlawful crossings occurred on December 25, 2025. Shortly after midnight, Benjamin Paul Sheldon Schooner, 35, of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada crossed the international border on foot in front of the Haskell Library in Derby Line, Vermont. At approximately 6:45 pm, Abelardo Gamboa-Penaloza, 30, of Mexico, crossed the international border on foot near Lee Street in Derby Line, Vermont.
Both Schooner and Gamboa-Penaloza were charged with illegal entry into the United States. On December 29, 2025, defendants Guillen and Schooner appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that both defendants be held pending detention hearings.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan A. Ophardt, Katherine H. Flynn, and David H. Golubock are prosecuting the case. Ramos Guillen, Schooner, and Gamboa-Penaloza are all represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender. Xiang is represented by Mark Oettinger, Esq. Nong is represented by Karen Shingler, Esq.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Nong, Xiang, and Schooner all face up to 6 months in prison if convicted. Ramos Guillen faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Key Facts
- State: Vermont
- Category: Violent Crime|Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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