It was all-hands-on-deck as Manitoba RCMP officers responded to an illegal border crossing 7 kilometers east of Emerson on Saturday, September 28th.
With a heads up from the United States Border Patrol, officers from IBET, Morris, Emerson, and St. Pierre-Joly detachments immediately headed out to the area, near Road 18 East, and found an SUV with several people inside along with luggage. Once pulled over, RCMP say that's when officers determined human smuggling was taking place.
Six people ranging from 30 to 53 years old were arrested under the Customs Act.
One man was from the Republic of Sudan, two men and one woman were from the Republic of Chad, one man was from Mauritania, and one man was identified as a Permanent Resident of Canada.
The driver, 42-year-old Semere Haile from Winnipeg, was arrested for Human Smuggling. He was released on several conditions and appeared in Winnipeg court this past Monday.
The six people arrested under the Customs Act were all handed over to the Canada Border Services Agency for processing.
“Crossing the Canada and United States border between the ports of entry is not only an illegal act, but a dangerous one,” said Sergeant Lance Goldau, head of IBET in Manitoba. “For everyone’s safety, we continue to work closely with our United States counterparts to stop incursions at the border.”