US offers up to $2mn in reward for information on Pakistani human smuggler

The US State Department on Thursday announced a $2 million reward on an indicted Pakistani human smuggler, Abid Ali Khan. As per a statement by State Department spokesperson Ned Price, the government is offering up to $1 million for providing information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of Khan, and another $1 million for a tipoff that will lead to information on finances of the Pak-based human smuggling network. Khan allegedly operates a human smuggling network from Pakistan that helps undocumented people enter the US, Middle East and Southwest Asia.

In addition to planning and coordinating the international travel from Pakistan through multiple countries, Ali Khan reportedly provides illegal documents for foreign nationals in exchange for money, the State Department spokesperson informed, adding that such organisations take advantage of vulnerable populations and extract hefty money for a perilous journey through off roads to facilitate sly entry into a foreign land.

"Persons smuggled to the United States are often subject to perilous travel through South and Central America, which can involve many days of walking through difficult terrain with little food or water, with many falling victim to robbery and abuse during the journey," Price informed in a press release.

$2mn reward for information leading to arrest of Khan

As mentioned earlier, on Thursday, the US government announced a bounty of $1 million for information that will help to arrest or convict Khan on charges of human smuggling and another $1 million for "information leading to the financial disruption of Ali Khan’s human-smuggling network." These rewards are offered under the Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), the statement from the US State Department said.

It is to be noted that in April, Ali Khan was charged by the federal jury for having allegedly "encouraged, induced and brought" undocumented people into the US from Pakistan and Afghanistan. "On 7 April 2021, the US Department of Justice unsealed a federal indictment filed in the Eastern District of Virginia charging Ali Khan with Conspiracy to Encouraging and Inducing an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States, and Bringing an Alien to the United States,  (sic)" the press release mentioned citing court documents.

"On the same date, the Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions against Ali Khan and the Ali Khan Transnational Criminal Organization pursuant to Executive Order 13581 “Blocking Property of Transnational Criminal Organizations,” stemming from the same criminal conduct," the US State Department statement added.

Under the TOCRP and the Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP), more than 75 transnational criminals and major narcotics traffickers have been brought to justice since 1986, according to the US State Department. The rewards paid to date roughly amount to $135 million.

(Image: AP)