COURTS
Syrian national extradited to NM on human smuggling charges
Suspect is alleged to have been coordinating activity from Mexico City
Published
Modified
A 39-year-old Syrian national is in federal custody in New Mexico after being extradited from Costa Rica on human smuggling charges.
Jalal Maklad Adeeb is alleged to have been coordinating human smuggling from Mexico City, bringing more than 100 individuals to the U.S., court records state.
He and a co-defendant, Somar Abdala Abdullah, face charges of conspiring to bring noncitizens to the U.S. for financial gain; smuggling an individual named R.H., on Aug. 3, 2024, in Doña Ana County; and aiding and abetting.
The two were indicted Aug. 10 by a federal grand jury in New Mexico, but only Adeeb had been arrested on the charges as of Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors contended Adeeb was coordinating human smuggling from Mexico City when he was interviewed by Homeland Security Investigations agents in Costa Rica.
He admitted he left Mexico City for Costa Rica "because they were investigating him,” court records state. He has entered a plea of not guilty.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Damian Martínez of Las Cruces found that Adeeb has no family ties in the U.S. and was a flight risk. The judge ordered him held in federal custody until resolution of his charges.
