International people-smuggling ring busted in Cornwall area – Leader Morrisburg

CORNWALL – Investigators from the Cornwall Regional Task Force, an interagency task force led by the RCMP, have broken up a people smuggling ring centered in the Cornwall area.

RCMP announced they have charged eight people involved in the operation — which took migrants and smuggled them from Canada to the United States across the St. Lawrence. Four people were arrested, and warrants were issued for the other four identified people.

The arrests follow a two-year investigation that intensified after the deaths of six migrants found in the water in March 2023 after a boat capsized near Akwesasne. Police have not released any further information on this incident as it remains under investigation.

Officials say more than 100 people were smuggled across the border during the operation – most paying thousands to cross.

The individuals charged by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police include: Thesingarasan Rasiah (51) and Joel Portillo (38) of Montréal, QC; Justin Rourke (43) and Tionna David (21) of Saint Regis, QC; Shawna Etienne (47) of Kanesatake, QC; Mary June Benedict (48) and Cheyenne Lewis (51) of Akwesasne; and Michael McCormick (47) of Cornwall, ON.