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Human Smuggling Ring Dismantled by Canada and The U.S. |
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Written by Wire Services
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Tuesday, 14 February 2006 |
An international ring, which smuggled people from several countries both ways across the Canada - United States border, was rolled up today after an international investigation.
Early Tuesday morning, fourteen people were arrested in Toronto, Windsor, Detroit and New York City. This is the latest move in a two year long investigation conducted by the RCMP, the United States Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
As a result of information received during this investigation over 100 migrants were arrested as they attempted to cross the border. Twenty-four from the United States into Canada, and the remainder from Canada into the United States.
Facing charges in Canada are:
1) Maitham Aziz Alzehrani - Windsor, Ontario.
2) Violette Aziz - Windsor, Ontario.
3) Kola Bajraktari - Windsor, Ontario.
4) Duke Bracaj BRACAJ - Windsor, Ontario.
5) Fran GashajGASHAJ - Windsor, Ontario.
6) Abdullah Falah Tariutash - Windsor, Ontario.
7) Doc PhanPHAN - Leamington, Ontario.
8) Abraham Alkiwani ALKIWANI - Toronto, Ontario.
9) Julian BakalliBAKALLI - Windsor, Ontario.
10) Llir Juncevic - Windsor, Ontario.
11) Nos Camal - Windsor, Ontario.
Police are alleging that migrants from China, Korea, Albania, and Eastern Europe arrived in North America and were then smuggled across the Canada-United States border using many different methods. Migrants where hidden in the trunks of automobiles, on rail cars, in the back of transport trucks, and on small boats.
"There was a complete disregard for the safety of these migrants who paid thousands of dollars to a gang for the "privilege" of being treated worse than cattle," stated Inspector Glenn Hanna, Officer in Charge of the RCMP Greater Toronto Area Immigration and Passport Sections. "Thanks to the dedication and perseverance of our law enforcement men and women on both sides of the border, we were able to make these arrests today.
"Alien smuggling organizations are driven by greed with little regard to the health, well being, dignity or motivation of their human cargo," said Brian M. Moskowitz, Special Agent in Charge, of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Detroit. "Smugglers should understand that we will not tolerate nor allow the US-Canadian border to be used as an opportunity for them to profit from their crimes - rather we will use our shared border as an opportunity for our nations to work together to bring them to justice."
Participating in the investigation were the following agencies: the Canadian Pacific Railway Police, Windsor Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Windsor-Sarnia Integrated Border Enforcement team and the United States Border Patrol.
Further arrests are anticipated in this case. |
