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3. U.S. Authorities Uncover Migrant Smuggling Network Tied to IRGC-Linked Individual

An Iranian national living in New York pleaded guilty Tuesday to running a migrant smuggling operation that brought people into the U.S., including at least one person tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), federal prosecutors said.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Sharon Gohari, a naturalized American citizen originally from Iran, admitted to operating an illegal migrant smuggling network that facilitated the unlawful entry of Iranian nationals into the United States through Mexico and other Latin American transit routes. Prosecutors stated that at least one of the individuals smuggled into the country had direct ties to the IRGC, the Iranian military organization designated by Washington as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

According to prosecutors, Gohari helped move the individual from Iran to Turkey and then through Mexico before facilitating the person’s illegal entry into the United States. After being detained by U.S. border authorities, the individual allegedly admitted to previously carrying out assignments for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran and Malaysia.

American officials described the case as a stark example of the national security risks associated with illicit migration networks. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg stated that the operation demonstrated how human smuggling channels can potentially be exploited by individuals connected to hostile foreign organizations.

The FBI’s Counterterrorism Division also emphasized the significance of the IRGC connection, arguing that unauthorized border crossings involving individuals tied to adversarial foreign entities represent a serious security threat. U.S. authorities have increasingly warned in recent years about Iranian-linked operatives using indirect migration pathways through Latin America to reach North America.