CANADIAN police on Thursday (6) dismantled a vast migrant smuggling network accused of sneaking hundreds of people from Canada into the US.
Four people were arrested while arrest warrants were issued for four others at large, said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which collaborated with American authorities in the investigation.
The group charged migrants who landed in Canada from other countries thousands of dollars to help them cross the St. Lawrence River by boat into the US from shores near Cornwall, Ontario, the RCMP said.
Hundreds of migrants are believed to have been smuggled into the US between July 2022 and June 2023. Some lost their lives in dangerous night-time crossings, the federal police force said.
"Many people from all over the world come to North America desperately seeking a better life," Inspector Etienne Thauvette said in a statement.
"Transnational criminal networks are exploiting that desperation to profit from these men, women and families, with no concern for their welfare."
The accused, aged 21 to 51, include two people from the Indigenous border community of Akwesasne, where a family of four from Romania and a family of four from India died trying to cross the river in March 2023.
(AFP)
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)