Related Federal Cases
Burlington, Vermont
A Guatemalan man has been charged with the illegal transportation of aliens in a federal indictment.
Saul Mazariegos-Estrada, 29, of El Tejar, Guatemala, was taken into custody on January 25, 2025, after a concerned citizen reported multiple subjects crossing a remote dirt road approximately one mile south of the United States-Canada border in the area of Newport, Vermont.
According to court records, Mazariegos-Estrada was driving a vehicle with Virginia license plates and was travelling at a high rate of speed on a remote driveway when Border Patrol agents stopped him. Agents found footprints in the snow where the concerned citizen had reported the crossing and observed multiple individuals in the back seat.
Mazariegos-Estrada stated that he was a Guatemalan citizen and that he did not possess immigration documents to enter or remain in the United States. The two passengers, Byron Sicajau Socoy, 40, of El Tejar, Guatemala, and Christian Rafael Hernandez Villa, 34, of Jalisco, Mexico, admitted to illegally entering the United States and that neither had immigration documents allowing them to enter or remain in the United States.
Mazariegos-Estrada faces up to five years’ imprisonment if convicted, and is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Emily Kenyon. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan A. Ophardt and Andrew C. Gilman.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that a criminal complaint contains allegations only, and that Mazariegos-Estrada is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.
Key Facts
- State: Vermont
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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