US man charged with human smuggling after 4 Indians including baby freeze to death in blizzard near Canada border
- Police found the bodies in Canada’s Manitoba province just metres from the frontier with Minnesota
- US authorities allege in court documents that Steve Shand, who was arrested in connection with the case, has likely been involved in other border crossings
A Florida man was charged on Thursday with human smuggling after the bodies of four people, including a baby and a teen, were found in Canada near the US border in what authorities believe was a failed crossing attempt during a freezing blizzard.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota said Steve Shand, 47, has been charged with human smuggling after seven Indian nationals were found in the US and the discovery of the bodies.
Court documents filed on Wednesday in support of Shand’s arrest allege one of the people spent a significant amount of money to come to Canada with a fraudulent student visa.
“The investigation into the death of the four individuals in Canada is ongoing along with an investigation into a larger human smuggling operation of which Shand is suspected of being a part,” John Stanley, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, said in court documents.
According to documents, a US Border Patrol in North Dakota stopped a 15-passenger van just south of the Canadian border on Wednesday. Shand was driving and court documents allege he was with two undocumented Indian nationals.