Three men were arrested in Quebec’s Eastern Townships for allegedly plotting to smuggle people into the United States, the RCMP said Tuesday.
The arrests are the latest in a series by the RCMP and the Canadian government to show the United States that Canada is taking on the newly elected president. Donald TrumpWe take concerns about border security seriously.
The trio is accused of demanding that passengers pay $4,000 each to be transported to the United States, police said.
The three men charged are:
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- Edward Alejandro Rojas Sanchez, 24, from Montreal
- Julian Camilo Rojas Murcia, 27, from Laval, Quebec.
- Fernando Esparza Dominguez, 33, from Montreal
The suspects were each charged with conspiracy to commit an offense in the United States under section 465(3) of the Criminal Code of Canada.
The men are due to appear in Quebec court in Montreal on February 4, the RCMP added.
Police did not say how many people the group attempted to transport to the United States or on what date.
The RCMP’s Integrated Border Enforcement Team alleged the men conspired to transport “a group of people from Montreal” to an unguarded location on the Canada-U.S. border “on at least one occasion.” No further details have been released.
“By charging large sums of money to their passengers to transport them, smugglers have turned illegal migration into a lucrative business,” the RCMP said. said in a statement.
The latest arrests come after RCMP and Ontario Provincial Police officers stopped another vehicle driven by another group on Jan. 8 near Cornwall, Ont.
This vehicle was heading towards the US border and was stopped by police in Cornwall, during which officers found eight people. “hidden” in the back, police said.
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