PHOENIX, Ariz. – Greiby Melissa Barcelo-Velasquez, 39, a Colombian national, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for her role in a smuggling operation that brought over 100 Colombians illegally into the United States through Arizona. U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi handed down the sentence last week for Conspiracy to Encourage and Induce an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States.
Since June 2023, Barcelo-Velasquez operated Baul Travel SAS, a travel agency in Colombia. Federal investigations began in late 2023 when multiple Colombian nationals arrested by U.S. Border Patrol identified her as their smuggling coordinator.
Barcelo-Velasquez charged individuals a fee to enter Mexico under the false pretense of tourism. Once there, they were required to pay additional bribes in U.S. currency at Cancun or Mexico City airports to ensure safe passage. The migrants were then transported to stash houses in Hermosillo, Mexico, where they waited alongside other individuals from around the world. Armed gunmen later escorted them to the U.S.-Mexico border for illegal entry.
The case was part of the efforts led by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), an initiative targeting transnational criminal organizations involved in human smuggling. JTFA, in coordination with multiple federal agencies, has led to over 355 arrests, 320 convictions, 265 significant prison sentences, and the seizure of substantial assets.
The investigation was conducted by Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol Sector Intelligence Unit and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart Zander and Adriana Genco of the District of Arizona handled the prosecution.
