US Border Patrol stops Canadian border-smuggling operation on St. Clair River
ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - An international cross-border smuggling incident was stopped by US Border Patrol in St. Clair County recently.
Four people were arrested by US Border Patrol agents in an operation involving a boat crossing Canadian waters on the St. Clair River on June 25.
The boat made landfall on the Michigan shoreline dropping off three passengers to a waiting vehicle. Agents then arrested the three suspects.
U.S. and Canadian law enforcement teamwork resulted in the arrest of the driver of the boat after he returned to Canada.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has charged the three passengers with 8 USC 1326- 8 USC 1326, re-entry after removal and the driver of the vehicle with 8 USC 1324, alien smuggling.
The pilot of the vessel will be before the courts in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada on Sept. 10th, 2024.
"Our commitment to our community’s safety was on full display here. Using all our assets we were able to end a smuggling operation," said Chief Patrol Agent John R. Morris of the Detroit Border Patrol Sector.
"These arrests display the great teamwork between our Border Patrol agents, Air and Marine operators, and our Canadian law enforcement partners."
Anyone with information on suspicious activity is asked to call the Detroit Sector Border Patrol Border Watch telephone number at 1-800-537-3220.