A boat smuggling three passengers from Canada into the United States using the St. Clair River was intercepted by U.S. Border Patrol last month, leading to four arrests.
Smugglers snuck three people onto the Michigan shore, who then entered a waiting vehicle upon landing.
According to a media release from U.S. Border Patrol, “agents from the Marysville Border Patrol Station arrested four individuals after observing a vessel which originated in Canadian waters on the St. Clair River make landfall on to U.S. shoreline” on June 25.
“The vessel dropped off three passengers who then got into a waiting vehicle.”
The St. Clair River runs between Ontario and Michigan, beginning near Sarnia, Ont. before opening up into Lake St. Clair.
U.S. Border Patrol said that it made “collaborative efforts” with Canadian law enforcement partners which resulted in the “arrest of the driver of the vessel after he returned to Canada.”
All four were charged and one suspect is slated to appear in a Sarnia court in September.
The three boat passengers were charged in the U.S. with reentry after removal and the driver was charged with alien smuggling, confirmed U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The border service did not provide the nationalities of those involved.
“Our commitment to our community’s safety was on full display here. Using all our assets we were able to end a smuggling operation,” said chief patrol agent John R. Morris of the Detroit Border Patrol Sector.
“These arrests display the great teamwork between our Border Patrol agents, Air and Marine operators, and our Canadian law enforcement partners.”
There have been several arrests linked to human smuggling across the St. Clair River in recent years.
Five people were arrested last winter for attempting to do the same thing in February.
After being spotted by U.S. Border Patrol they were apprehended, drenched and shivering due to the freezing temperatures.
They told the security agency that they had fallen into the river while attempting to get onto the boat, entering from the Walpole Island area of Ontario.
“The smuggler tried to take advantage of darkness and freezing temperatures to mask his criminal activity. Bad people will go to great lengths to avoid arrest, placing themselves and others in danger,” said chief patrol agent Robert Danley at the time.
“Thankfully, Detroit Sector agents and communication specialists are protecting our Nation around the clock, even in adverse weather.”