Colombian man charged in U.S. for smuggling pregnant woman who died crossing from Canada
A Colombian man, Jhader Augusto Uribe-Tobar, has been extradited from Canada to the United States and arraigned on charges related to the tragic drowning of a 32-year-old Mexican woman, Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores, who had crossed the border into Champlain, N.Y. in December 2023.
According to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in northern New York, Uribe-Tobar, who was living in Quebec at the time, is accused of driving Vasquez-Flores near the border and providing instructions via WhatsApp messages on where to go before she was picked up by his associates. The document reveals that Vasquez-Flores’ husband, Miguel Mojarro-Magana, had contacted Uribe-Tobar on TikTok, where the man was allegedly advertising smuggling services. Less than a week later, Mojarro-Magana wired $2,500 to Uribe-Tobar to assist his wife in crossing into the U.S.
On the evening of December 11, 2023, Uribe-Tobar informed Mojarro-Magana that Vasquez-Flores had reached the Great Chazy River, where she was instructed to wade across. Shortly after, Mojarro-Magana received a message expressing concern as Vasquez-Flores had potentially gotten wet or turned off her cell phone during the crossing. Uribe-Tobar assured Mojarro-Magana that he had people searching for Vasquez-Flores and had provided them with her last known location, emphasizing that she was pregnant.
The following day, Mojarro-Magana reported his wife’s disappearance to U.S. Border Patrol agents in Champlain, prompting a search involving police, border patrol, and firefighters. Tragically, Vasquez-Flores’ body was discovered in the river on December 14, 2023.
Although the allegations against Uribe-Tobar have not been proven in court, they carry serious consequences, with a minimum sentence of three years in prison and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The case serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers and risks associated with illegal border crossings and the criminal activities that exploit vulnerable individuals seeking a better life.
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