Police find 44 illegal migrants crammed in smuggling truck
Three men are facing smuggling-related charges after police in southern Quebec intercepted a truck carrying 44 illegal migrants in dangerous conditions.
Three men are facing smuggling-related charges after police in southern Quebec intercepted a truck carrying 44 illegal migrants in dangerous conditions.
At approximately 2:20 a.m. on Sunday, a cube van was intercepted near Stanstead, Quebec. This action followed intelligence received by RCMP and Quebec police officers concerning a potential illegal border crossing involving a significant number of migrants.
Inside, officers found dozens of people, including a woman and children who were visibly distressed.
“There wasn’t a lot of air for them to breathe, no one had any water, and with the kids and the tight space they couldn’t sit on the ground, they had to stand,” said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Charles Poirier.
“Just horrific conditions, really, that they were basically left in.”
The majority of the passengers were Haitian nationals, Poirier said.
The RCMP’s East Border District Director Miguel Begin described the circumstances the migrants were discovered in as “crammed into a cube truck without ventilation.”
Police said none of the migrants appeared to be in immediate medical danger.
The CBSA identified the three accused as Ogulcan Mersin, 25, and Dogan Alakus and Firat Yuksek, both 31.
The three men are charged with inducing, aiding or abetting foreign nationals to contravene the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and with assisting entry into Canada outside of a designated port of entry.
The suspects remain in custody and are scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.
The CBSA said its investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be laid.
Poirier said the incident is the largest group interception he has seen in Quebec.
This summer Quebec has seen a 277 per cent increase in asylum claims at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle port of entry.
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Bravo, big government, for not allowing self-proclaimed refugees to enter Canada the old-fashioned way (Roxham Road). Now you have created jobs for these three fine people, Turks as I understand it, with all the moral fibre of their boss, Erdogan. No need to vet them after the fact either since I'm sure immigration lawyers are made of the same stuff.