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Four people were arrested and charged with offences related to human smuggling after a traffic stop in Cornwall on Tuesday turned up eight individuals concealed in a vehicle bound for the United States.
A media release from the Ontario Provincial Police on Jan. 8 said members of the force’s Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) and the RCMP had a day earlier conducted the traffic stop on the vehicle heading toward a Canadian Border Services Agency port of entry, finding the eight people hidden in the back of the vehicle. The driver and a passenger in the vehicle were arrested and charged, while further investigation revealed two other suspect vehicles and led to two other arrests.
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Charles Edwards, 58, and George Tooker, 54, both of Akwesasne, Ngoc Dung Le, 52, of Brossard, Que., and Huu Huan Nguyen, 43, of Anjou, Que., were all charged with conspiracy to violate United States law. They were subsequently released from custody and scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Cornwall on Feb. 25, the police media release said.
It added that the traffic stop had been conducted under the Excise Act after a joint-forces operation led by the OPP’s BEST unit, CBSA, RCMP, Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“Maintaining the integrity of our borders is of utmost importance and we will continue to collaborate with our partners provincially, nationally and internationally,” OPP commissioner Thomas Carrique said in the release.
Matt Peggs, RCMP assistant commissioner and regional commander for the Central Region, said the arrests made Tuesday were “another example of a decades-long partnership between multiple law enforcement and border protection agencies. By working together, we are enhancing our efforts to combat human smuggling and ensure the safety and security of Canadians and our borders.”
The investigation was continuing, police said. The eight individuals found concealed inside the vehicle were also arrested and charges may be laid against them, if applicable, the release added.
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