OTTAWA: U.S., Canadian, and Akwesasne Mohawk border agents arrested five people, and charged four of them, for human smuggling across international borders following a seven-month investigation, a multi-agency team announced Thursday.
Huai Guo Li, 59, of Carignan, Quebec, and Donald Benedict, 44, of Cornwall, Ontario, were charged with conspiracy and aiding or abetting illegal entry into Canada. Edwin Benedict, 48, of Cornwall Island, Ontario, and Jessica Martin-Conners, 43, of Cornwall Island, Ontario were charged with conspiracy.
Canadian Border Services Agency spokesman Chris Kealey said the investigation started when an unidentified indiviual was caught attempting to smuggle people across the border. “As a result of information gleaned from that,” Kealey said, “the investigation began.”
The arrests stem from five incidents last summer: two in June, two in August, and one in September, Kealey said. It’s alleged the smuggling operation was by vehicle and by boat, sometimes through Akwesasne Mohawk territory, sometimes directly between the U.S. and Canada, and in both directions. “This worked both ways,” Kealey said. “In some cases, they were smuggled to the U.S., in other cases into Canada.” Kealey didn’t disclose how many victims were involved or their nationalities. One incident, he said, involved drugs as well.
