RCMP-led task force arrests four and dismantles human smuggling ring

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Eight people have been charged in connection with a suspected people-smuggling ring that allegedly smuggled hundreds of “desperate” migrants, mainly from India, Romania and Sri Lanka, across the Canada-United States border.

The Cornwall Regional Task Force, which involves the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police, Canada Border Services Agency and the Ontario Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with US authorities, began its investigation into the suspected smuggling ring in July 2022.

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The RCMP announced the findings of the investigation during a news conference in Cornwall on Thursday.

Hundreds of “desperate migrants” have reportedly been smuggled both ways across the Canada/US border through communities along the St. Lawrence and were charged thousands of dollars by organizers, RCMP claimed.

“Typically, smugglers were picked up and brought to either a hotel or a residence near the St. Lawrence,” said RCMP investigator Etienne Thauvette. “From there, they were driven to the water’s edge day or night and then directed to a waiting boat. Smugglers carried them across the river in all kinds of weather, regardless of the risks to the lives of everyone on board.”

The migrants were also transported to the U.S. at a land crossing in Dundee, Que., avoiding designated border crossings, police said.

Police say Thesingarasan Rasiah, 51, led the smuggling ring.

A year ago, police said, Rasiah was arrested when he failed to comply with bail conditions related to an unrelated human trafficking investigation. He has since been arrested for his alleged involvement in the ring on May 14 while in custody at the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre.

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The eight people charged included:

– Thesingarasan Rasiah, 51, Montreal, Que., arrested May 14

– Joel Portillo, 38, Montreal, Que., arrested May 14

– Michael McCormick, 47, Cornwall, Ont., arrested May 21

– Mary June Benedict, 48, Akwesasne, Ont., arrested May 22

– Justin Rourke, 43, Saint Regis, Que., in U.S. custody on unrelated matters

– Shawna Etienne, 47, Kanesatake, Que., remains wanted

– Cheyenne Lewis, 51, Akwesasne, Que., remains wanted

– Tionna David, 21, Saint Regis, Que., remains wanted

Police say the offenses took place between July 14, 2022 and June 15, 2023. There were 85 charges related to people smuggling and the possession and laundering of the proceeds of crime. The most charges apply to Rasiah, who faces 36 charges, and Portillo, who faces 25.

Several “co-conspirators” in Toronto, Montreal and abroad were allegedly involved in smuggling migrants across the border and arranging their transportation. Police said they had also contracted the services of Rasiah’s group to transport the migrants.

Through search warrants, investigators seized approximately $385,000 in various currencies stashed at multiple locations. Cell phones, more than $100,000 in jewelry and “evidence of people smuggling” were also seized.

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The investigation found that over a year, around $1.4 million had made its way through accounts linked to Rasiah.

Retired OPP Police Sergeant Matthew Eamer said there’s likely more money involved, but “at this point, we can’t quantify that.”

Eamer said other people may have been involved in the network in addition to those facing charges.

“As the evidence comes out in court – obviously we can’t discuss it here in this forum – you will see that there were quite a number of moving parts in this organization both locally and in other areas of the country and worldwide.” Eamer said Thursday.

More than 100 migrants were involved in the group’s smuggling operations, which included successful and failed border crossings, police say. The task force did not say whether the migrants had been identified or where they were in the United States, although authorities said they had made some “connections.”

Migrants came mainly from India, Romania and Sri Lanka. According to investigators, the cost of illegally crossing the border typically ranged from US$5,000 to US$6,000, but could be as high as US$35,000 per person, depending on the illegal documents required for the trip.

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Thauvette said police linked the smuggling ring to the deaths of two families of four from India and Romania whose bodies were discovered in the St. Lawrence in March 2023.

Ranatiiostha Swamp, chief of the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, said the force’s investigation into the deaths is ongoing.

“When the families were discovered on St. Lawrence, there was a separate wrongful death investigation, and we were very, very careful to make sure they were separate so as not to compromise each other,” Thauvette said.

OPP Inspector Walid Kandar said the force’s involvement in the task force dates back to the early 1990s and 2000s, when the focus was “primarily on tobacco and cannabis smuggling.”

“Today, unfortunately, smuggling has become a significant problem in the region,” Kandar said.

While the investigation was “significant”, Thauvette said he was “under no illusions” that the destruction of the organization would end any smuggling, nnoting that the border was long and had many entry points.

“Certainly this was one of the groups that was most active and in the short term it had an impact on the number of smuggling events,” Thauvette said.

Nathan Smallwood, deputy director of the Canada Border Services Agency, said people could report suspicious cross-border activity through the agency’s Border Watch Line.

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