A Canadian-American citizen who allegedly took part in a human smuggling operation that left migrants drowned in the Saint Lawrence River will remain in U.S. custody following his detention hearing in a New York District Court.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, Timothy Oakes was arrested “for his role in a deadly human smuggling conspiracy that left a family of four, including two children under the age of three, dead in the St. Lawrence River.”
Oakes, 34, is from the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation, located near the Canada-U.S. border west of Montreal. He was previously arraigned on numerous human smuggling offences.
He was arrested at the Massena, New York, Port of Entry attempting to enter the U.S., and his detention hearing occurred on Tuesday.
Oakes had been indicted in April for conspiring to smuggle people from Canada into the U.S.
Additionally, he faces four counts of alien smuggling for profit and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death.
Oakes was allegedly a “key facilitator” in smuggling a Romanian family, including two young children, which resulted in the death of all four in March 2023.
“As alleged, Oakes and his co-conspirators profited from a human smuggling operation with a singular, cold-hearted aim: making money by bringing illegal aliens into the United States, regardless of the danger to human life involved,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the U.S. Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
“Their greed resulted in the deaths of a mother, a father, and two small children, as well as one of the defendants’ own brothers. The Criminal Division will continue to disrupt and dismantle these organizations and bring justice to smugglers whose actions result in senseless deaths.”
According to court documents, Oakes routinely smuggled people into the U.S. by boat using the Saint Lawrence River, receiving USD $1,000 per person for his service.
Oakes allegedly housed the Romanian family for about 24 hours in March 2023 before transporting them along with his brother, Casey Oakes, who piloted the boat destined for northern New York.
However, the boat capsized, killing Oakes’ brother and all four Romanian migrants.
A separate family of four from India were also on the boat and drowned, but the U.S. indictment against Oakes does not include their deaths.
“Oakes’ arrest comes as part of our nearly two-year long investigation into a transnational criminal organization responsible for the large-scale smuggling of aliens from Canada into the United States,” said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan.
The geography of Akwesasne allows for easier border crossings, making it a hot spot for both human traffickers and contraband smugglers.
U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III for the Northern District of New York said Oakes’ case shows “the terrible perils of illegally crossing the border.”
“Four family members died because a smuggling network put them in harm’s way. My office is proud to partner with Joint Task Force Alpha to continue to combat dangerous human smuggling and trafficking organizations that operate on our northern border,” said Sarcone III.
Three other U.S.-based individuals previously entered guilty pleas in relation to the tragedy.