A Colombian man was extradited from Canada to the United States and arraigned today for charges arising from the drowning of a pregnant Mexican woman trying to enter the U.SA. in the New York section of the Swanton Sector.

Federal authorities say the woman died in December 2023 while trying to illegally enter the United States by wading across the Great Chazy River in Champlain, New York.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan of Homeland Security Investigations, Buffalo, New York Field Office; and Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia of United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector, made the announcement.

Jhader Augusto Uribe-Tobar, age 36, is a citizen of Colombia who resides in Quebec, Canada.

According to the indictment and an earlier-filed criminal complaint, Uribe-Tobar smuggled a pregnant woman, A.V.-F., from Canada into the Northern District of New York for $2,500, by instructing her to wade through the frigid Great Chazy River in darkness. The smuggling attempt ended in A.V-F.’s death.

United States Attorney Carla Freedman stated: “This tragedy highlights the dangers of illegal migration and how, as alleged, smugglers deliberately put people in harm’s way for profit. By vigorously prosecuting human smuggling networks, we are deterring and reducing the number of dangerous crossings like the one that took the lives of this young woman and her unborn child.”

HSI Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan stated: “We will not stand by as lives are tragically lost by the deception of human smugglers profiting off the vulnerability of migrants. HSI Buffalo and our partners vigorously pursue justice for the victims who are exploited and endangered by the people whom they are trusting to move them across borders.”