RCMP announce arrests in suspected human smuggling ring along St. Lawrence River
The RCMP have made four arrests and issued four additional arrest warrants in connection to a suspected human smuggling ring that was allegedly charging migrants thousands of dollars to sneak them over the border into the U.S. from Cornwall, Ont.
Police said the group carried out multiple smuggling operations involving over 100 migrants. Migrants were transported by boat along the St. Lawrence River or by land crossing in Dundee, Que., RCMP said.
The smuggled migrants primarily came from India, Romania and Sri Lanka, and were charged between $5,000 and $6,000 US per person to cross the border.
The investigation was carried out by the Cornwall Regional Task Force, which was led by the RCMP and includes the Ontario Provincial Police, the Canada Border Services Agency and the Ontario Ministry of Finance. The task force identified and investigated the human smuggling group in July 2022.
RCMP have charged eight people including:
A 51-year-old from Montreal.
A 38-year-old from Montreal.
A 47-year-old from Kanesatake.
A 43-year-old from Akwesasne.
A 21-year-old from Akwesasne.
A 48-year-old from Akwesasne.
A 51-year-old from Akwesasne.
A 47-year old from Cornwall, Ont.
The alleged offences were committed between July 14, 2022, and June 15, 2023. The eight accused face a total of 85 charges under the Criminal Code and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act relating to human smuggling, and the possession and laundering of proceeds of crime.
American authorities and the local police force in Akwesasne also aided in the investigation, RCMP said.
Police said the group is linked to the deaths of eight people — a family of four from Romania and another family of four from India — who tried to cross the St. Lawrence River into the U.S. near Akwesasne. Their bodies were recovered in March 2023.
RCMP Insp. Etienne Thauvette said the smugglers transported migrants across the river in any kind of weather with little regard for the lives of those on board.
RCMP Insp. Etienne Thauvette talks at a press conference on June 6, 2024 about the investigation into a human smuggling ring based along the St. Lawrence River. (Nickolas Persaud/CBC)
"This terrible tragedy is a stark reminder of the unconscionable risks that vulnerable and desperate people are made to endure at the hands of smugglers," he said.
While police linked the deaths of the eight migrants to the group on Thursday, Thauvette said he could not elaborate on the connection due to a separate ongoing investigation by the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service.
While four members of the alleged smuggling ring have been arrested, one is currently in custody in the U.S. on unrelated matters and three remain wanted.
The alleged ringleader was arrested in June 2023 for failing to comply with a bail condition stemming from an unrelated human smuggling investigation, police said. Investigators found approximately $1.4 million had passed through that individual's bank accounts over a one-year period.
Thauvette added that while the arrests are significant, human smuggling remains a concern.
"I think from an ideological standpoint it would be nice to put an end to all smuggling," he said. "I think we can all agree that for as long as there will be borders, there will be smuggling."
