Border agents nab Romanians with organized crime links in Maine

US Border Patrol agents rounded up 20 Romanian nationals who illegally crossed into Maine from Canada on Wednesday — two of whom were flagged as members of a transnational criminal organization.

Agents tracked four vehicles crossing into the state from New Brunswick shortly after 6 a.m. and arrested the occupants before transporting them for processing at Fort Fairfield, the Border Patrol announced in a statement.

“This incident is indicative of an overall rise in apprehensions witnessed here in Houlton Sector,” Acting Patrol Agent in Charge Dennis Harmon said in a statement.

“In the last three Octobers, Houlton Sector encountered a total of 33 individuals. In fiscal year 2024 alone, we’ve encountered 55. While this increase poses challenges to Border Patrol resources, it does not dissuade the great work done by our dedicated agents here in Houlton Sector.”