Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
International

Florida man indicted on human smuggling charges

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 17 Feb, 2022 05:25 PM
  • Florida man indicted on human smuggling charges

MINNEAPOLIS - A federal grand jury in the United States has formally indicted a man on human smuggling charges after the deaths of four Indian migrants near the Canada-U.S. border last month.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Minneapolis announced the indictment on two counts of human smuggling.

Steve Shand, who is 47 and from Florida, was allegedly behind the wheel of a 15-seat passenger van when he was pulled over Jan. 19 on a remote Minnesota road in blizzard-like conditions.

Court documents allege there were also two undocumented Indian nationals in the van, along with snacks and provisions.

Not far away, in southern Manitoba, RCMP and border officials discovered four frozen bodies, later identified as a couple and their two children from India, who investigators believe were part of a larger group making their way to the United States.

A new court date has not been set for Shand, who was released last month on a personal recognizance bond after a court appearance in St. Paul, Minn.

Almost a dozen family members from the U.S. and India travelled to Winnipeg last week to attend a funeral for Jagdish Patel, 39; his wife Vaishaliben Patel, 37; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and their three-year-old son, Dharmik.

RCMP have said it's believed the family arrived in Toronto on Jan. 12 and then made its way to Manitoba. Investigators are still working to confirming the family's movements.

Court documents say that at about the same time of Shand's arrest, agents encountered five other Indian migrants as they emerged from the darkness not far from the border. One said they had been walking through the snow and bitter cold for more than 11 hours.

Evidence detailed in the documents suggests the group was not the first to make the perilous trek. Twice in December and once in January border patrol agents found boot prints in the snow near where the van was later pulled over.

A court file from Florida shows Shand filed for bankruptcy more than three years ago, reporting assets worth $193,343 and liabilities of nearly $160,000. Describing himself as an Uber driver, Shand's assets at the time included two vehicles and a single-family home.

MORE International ARTICLES

Girl, 10, bound for Canada killed at Taliban stop

Girl, 10, bound for Canada killed at Taliban stop
Eleanor Taylor of the group Aman Lara, an organization that helps Afghans get out of the country, said the little girl named Nafiza was shot and killed while the family was travelling back from a wedding late in the evening of Dec. 10.

Girl, 10, bound for Canada killed at Taliban stop

Pfizer confirms COVID pill's results, potency versus omicron

Pfizer confirms COVID pill's results, potency versus omicron
The company also said full results of its 2,250-person study confirmed the pill's promising early results against the virus: The drug reduced combined hospitalizations and deaths by about 89% among high-risk adults when taken shortly after initial COVID-19 symptoms.

Pfizer confirms COVID pill's results, potency versus omicron

Harnaaz Sandhu, Miss India, wins the title of Miss Universe 2021 after 21 years

Harnaaz Sandhu, Miss India, wins the title of Miss Universe 2021 after 21 years
On Dec 12, 2021, Harnaaz Sandhu, Miss India won the 70th Miss Universe Pageant in Israel. Miss South Africa was second runner up and Miss Paraguay was first runner up. 

Harnaaz Sandhu, Miss India, wins the title of Miss Universe 2021 after 21 years

Countries gather online for Summit for Democracy

Countries gather online for Summit for Democracy
U.S. President Joe Biden says it's up to democracies around the world to prove that government of, by and for the people is the best way to solve problems. Biden opened his two-day virtual Summit for Democracy by acknowledging that democratic systems are inherently fragile and often demanding.

Countries gather online for Summit for Democracy

Indian-origin petrol station owner killed in robbery on daughter's b'day

Indian-origin petrol station owner killed in robbery on daughter's b'day
Amit Patel, 45, was gunned down at around 10 a.m. on Monday in Columbus during an apparent robbery as he was making a deposit at the bank, TV station WTVM reported quoting the county coroner.

Indian-origin petrol station owner killed in robbery on daughter's b'day

Vaccine technology improving as new variants arise

Vaccine technology improving as new variants arise
Within hours of the World Health Organization designating Omicron a variant of concern late last month, Moderna issued a press release telling the public it was already working on a vaccine booster that could target the new threat. 

Vaccine technology improving as new variants arise