One man has been arrested for human smuggling after he was caught picking up 8 people RCMP say illegally crossed the International Border near Gretna last month.
Around 10:30 p.m. on August 22nd, IBET officers working with counterparts from the United States Border Patrol, became aware of the crossing, and found the subjects walking north from the U.S. into Canada where they were picked up by a man in a rental vehicle. Officers pulled over the vehicle and arrested all of the occupants.
Of the 8 migrants arrested under the Customs Act, four men and one woman were from the Republic of Chad, two men from the Republic of Sudan, and one woman was from the Republic of Guinea - ranging between 19 and 48 years-old.
The driver, 35-year-old Abshir Mohamed Osman, a Somali national living in Winnipeg, was arrested an charged with human smuggling. He was released at the direction of Public Prosecution Service of Canada on several conditions and is to attend Emerson Provincial Court on Oct. 16, 2024.
"We were able to interview all eight subjects with the assistance of RCMP officers who speak French and Arabic," said Sgt. Lance Goldau, head of the IBET in Manitoba. "After our processes were completed, all of the migrants were turned over to Canada Border Services Agency for their processing, and we continue with the smuggling investigation against the suspect. This investigation speaks to the value of our partnership with the United States Border Patrol, and we remain committed to working closely together in the interest of border security."