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BOSTON — A Brazilian national living illegally in Worcester was arrested on charges related to a large-scale human smuggling operation.
Flavio Alexandra Alves, 41, also known as "Ronaldo," was taken into custody on a criminal complaint accusing him of conspiring to transport aliens into and within the United States.
Alves, who was previously deported after a 2004 conviction for human smuggling, is alleged to have re-entered the U.S. after being removed to Brazil in 2005. He is accused of facilitating the illegal travel of Brazilian nationals, coordinating with smugglers in Brazil and Mexico, and laundering proceeds from the operation.
According to investigators, Alves purchased airline tickets for smuggled individuals, including families, to travel across the U.S. He also sent money to smugglers in Mexico to cover transit costs and collected smuggling fees.
Authorities say he transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the operation.
Alves faces a hearing on March 28, 2025. His arrest is part of an international crackdown on human smuggling under the U.S. Justice Department's Joint Task Force Alpha, which targets transnational criminal organizations.
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