Plattsburgh, NY, USA:  A woman from New York has been formally charged in what federal officials say was a cross-border migrant-smuggling operation that funnelled mostly Indian nationals from Canada into the United States in exchange for money.

The U.S. Department of Justice reported that 42-year-old Stacey Taylor, a resident of Plattsburgh, was named in a multi-count indictment issued by a federal grand jury on October 2, 2025. She is accused of participating in a conspiracy to transport migrants illegally and faces four separate charges related to smuggling for profit. Three of these are classified as repeat offences, which could result in significantly harsher penalties. Every smuggling-for-profit count carries a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison.

The case began on January 20, 2025, when U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped Taylor near Churubusco, New York, just south of the U.S.–Canada border. Officers discovered four undocumented individuals in her vehicle: three citizens of India and one Canadian, who had allegedly entered the country unlawfully and without inspection.

Investigators later examined her phone and found messages that prosecutors say indicate she transported additional migrants in the days before her arrest. Authorities have further connected her to two other suspected smuggling incidents that occurred in August and September 2025.

This prosecution is part of Joint Task Force Alpha, a coordinated effort between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to disrupt and dismantle human-smuggling networks operating throughout North America.

If she is convicted on all charges, Taylor could face a lengthy federal prison term. Officials say the wider investigation into other possible partners and smuggling routes is still ongoing.