Inside ICE: Volume 2, Issue 18

Man Pleads Guilty to Middle East Smuggling

A Michigan man has pleaded guilty to two counts of alien smuggling in connection with a scheme to smuggle illegal aliens from the Middle East to the United States.

Minas Mirza, 42, also known as “Jack” and “Nino,” of Warren, Mich., pleaded guilty on August 19 in Washington, D.C. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Mirza was one of four people charged in Washington, D.C. last year as part of an organization accused of smuggling more than 200 illegal aliens into the country. Mirza pleaded guilty after being charged, along with the three other defendants, with smuggling aliens, including citizens of Iraq and other countries in the Middle East, into the United States, primarily through South America.

The defendants were charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens into the United States beginning in early 2001 and bringing unauthorized aliens to the United States for commercial advantage or private financial gain.

According to the indictment, Neeran Zaia owned a business called Universal Investment & Law Services, which she used as a conduit for alleged alien smuggling activities. The business advertised in Detroit media outlets, including an Arab-language magazine. Zaia and a co-conspirator also allegedly operated “Saudi-Jordan,” a travel agency located in Amman, Jordan, and met there with aliens who wished to enter the United States.

The indictment alleges that Ms. Zaia and a co-conspirator recruited aliens in Iraq and Jordan who wished to be taken to the United States in exchange for the payment or promised payment of money, often for thousands of dollars. Zaia allegedly told the aliens she, in exchange for the fee, could obtain appropriate documents to facilitate their travel to the United States.

The indictment further alleges that Zaia and other conspirators promised aliens U.S. visas. However, after securing partial payments for those visas, the aliens were instead provided with visas from countries in South America. The defendants would allegedly transport the aliens to South American countries as a staging area for entry into the United States. Once the aliens were in South America, the conspirators would demand additional money to bring the aliens into the United States.

In the course of his guilty plea, Mirza admitted his role in the conspiracy and specifically to having coordinated arrangements for smuggling two aliens into the United States for personal financial gain. Mirza also admitted to personally driving two aliens from Washington, D.C. to Detroit. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

In announcing the guilty plea, ICE Deputy Assistant Secretary John P. Clark, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Kenneth L. Wainstein and Acting Assistant Attorney General John C. Richter all commended the extraterritorial investigation led by ICE special agents of the Washington, D.C., field office, ICE agents at ICE Headquarters and agents from the Detroit ICE Office of Investigations. The State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service also assisted with the investigation.

Back to Top

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Man Pleads Guilty to Middle East Smuggling

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Inside ICE is an e-newsletter produced by the ICE Office of Public Affairs to inform the public about the mission, operations and activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Please send comments and contributions to Russ Bergeron, Editor.

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