A 38-year-old man from India admitted Thursday he conspired to smuggle people from his country into the United States on commercial flights that landed at Newark Liberty International Airport on multiple occasions in exchange for money.

The investigation into Bhavin Patel’s smuggling operation spanned more than six years after Department of Homeland Security Investigations officials received a tip and an undercover officer, posing as a smuggler, began meeting in 2013 with Patel in Thailand, authorities said.

On three occasions, Patel arranged to smuggle Indian nationals to the U.S. after a stop at an airport in Thailand. He charged tens of thousands for each of the six people smuggled in the scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Patel was arrested in December when he arrived at Newark airport.

He pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to smuggle foreign nationals, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. His sentencing is scheduled for July 9.

Taylor Tiamoyo Harris may be reached at tharris@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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