Man Charged In US-Canada Human Smuggling Scheme Released - Reports

Man Charged in US-Canada Human Smuggling Scheme Released - Reports

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2022) A Florida resident charged in a lethal migrant smuggling operation at the US-Canada border was released from jail by a judge in Minnesota, the CBC reported.

Steve Shand, of Deltona, Florida, was arrested and charged after law enforcement picked up seven people near the US border last week, the report said on Monday. Four other people found dead in a field in Manitoba are thought to have been a part of the group, the report added.

Law enforcement began a search on both sides of the border and RCMP officers found the bodies of a man, a woman and a baby on the Canadian side of the border.

A further search yielded the body of a male teenager. It appears that they died from exposure to the cold weather.

Investigators said the victims are believed to be from India and were part of a larger group of Indian migrants who were attempting to enter the United States by way of Canada. US Justice Department officials say the victims are probably tied to a larger human smuggling operation.