Suspects charged for smuggling people across U.S. border into Quebec, RCMP says

Image from a surveillance camera showing migrants crossing the border into Canada illegally near Franklin, Que., on Nov. 15, 2024. (Source: RCMP)

The RCMP said Friday that three suspects have been charged in two separate investigations for allegedly helping people cross illegally into Canada from the U.S.

A news release from the federal police force said the first case began on May 1, 2024, after a vehicle was intercepted in Ormstown, Que., about 20 kilometres north of the American border.

The Mounties alleged the driver was heading to an unguarded border crossing to pick up a group of people who had illegally entered Canada.

“According to the investigation, the driver of the vehicle, Muhammet Akca, 41, is alleged to have conspired to facilitate the illegal crossing of several people in 2024,” the RCMP said.

Akca has been charged with conspiracy and is scheduled to appear at the Valleyfield courthouse on March 3.

The Mounties say in another investigation, also by officers in the Valleyfield detachment, two people were arrested on Nov. 15, 2024, after being stopped in a vehicle in Franklin, a small Quebec municipality along the U.S. border.

Police say the pair was planning to pick up two individuals who had illegally crossed the border from the U.S. into Canada.

Adrian Jose Herrera Tabares, 34, and Frangeli Coromoto Guzman Espinoza, 28, are each charged with violating the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Both are scheduled to appear at the Valleyfield courthouse on April 25.

The RCMP said Friday that 13 other investigations led to charges in Valleyfield in 2024 related to illegal border crossings.

“The RCMP works with many Canadian and American law enforcement partners, playing an important role in protecting the Canada-US border. Human smuggling is a criminal enterprise that spans the globe,” the RCMP said in the release.

“Smugglers facilitate the entry of people into Canada or the United States by illegal means, while making a profit from them. By charging their passengers large sums of money to transport them, human smugglers have turned illegal migration into a lucrative business.”

The announcement comes one day after RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme told CTV’s Power Play that staffing along the Canada-U.S. border has increased 35 per cent compared to three weeks ago.

The federal police has also deployed Blackhawk helicopters in the area and Trudeau has committed to adding nearly 10,000 frontline personnel to protect the border.

The measures are in response to the tariff threats from the Donald Trump administration in Washington. Canada was granted a 30-day reprieve from the tariffs as it works on border security and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.

The police say anyone with information about illegal activity is asked to call the RCMP at 514-939-8300 or 1-800-771-5401, or their local police department.