Four people were arrested late Saturday near the Canadian border in association with alleged human smuggling.
U.S. Border Patrol agents detected three people walking south near the U.S.-Canada border in Derby Line. According to an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court in Burlington, the area is known for being “a common smuggling route,” especially for Georgian nationals.
Two border patrol agents responded to the area. Using a night optical device, Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Erik Lavallee saw a flashlight being used in the trees along the border, then he saw three people walking south from the border.
According to the affidavit, one figure motioned to the other two to stay in a small clumping of trees before going to the road to flag down a sedan. The car stopped and all three people got in, before heading toward I-91.
Border agents stopped the car, bearing New Jersey plates, on the interstate.
Two of the four occupants of the car were found to be in the country illegally.
Mykhaylo Andrushko, 48, a Ukrainian citizen, was also found to be in the country illegally. He reportedly used a false name and presented a Hungarian passport to law enforcement. According to officials, he had been removed from the country in the past.
He faces two years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the charge of reentry after removal. He could be removed from the country again, and barred from reentering.
Nino Lempanintze, 33, who is a Georgian resident with Greek citizenship, told law enforcement that she had paid $800 to be transported from Toronto, Canada to the United States. She was held as a witness.
The car’s driver, Tamar Taradze, 27, and another passenger, Levan Arutinov, 25, both have legal status in the United States. They are facing charges of alien smuggling and conspiracy. They could face a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to 10 years in prison for the charges.
