(WNY News Now) – BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Dominican Republic citizen has been sentenced to federal prison for transporting illegal aliens into the United States by raft across the Niagara River.
Silvestre German Andujar, 53, of Hamilton, Ontario, was sentenced to 36 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo after being convicted of alien smuggling for commercial advantage and private financial gain, according to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo.
Prosecutors stated that on January 3, 2024, Andujar and three non-citizens traveled on a motorized raft from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, to the U.S. side of the border. Andujar piloted the vessel, and all four individuals disembarked on the U.S. shoreline, where they fled after encountering U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Law enforcement observed a vehicle operated by co-defendant Luis Davis German Soriano, who had traveled from New Jersey to pick up the group near the landing site in Youngstown, New York. Soriano was initially stopped and questioned but later released. He returned to the area and transported Andujar and the three others in his van.
The following day, on January 4, 2024, Border Patrol agents spotted Soriano’s van on the Niagara Scenic Parkway. The vehicle was stopped on Youngstown-Lockport Road in Ransomville, New York. Andujar and the three non-citizens were taken into custody, and immigration records were reviewed.
Luis Davis German Soriano was previously convicted and sentenced in connection to the case.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, and the Lewiston Police Department.
Leave a Reply