Police arrest four, break up suspected human smuggling ring in Cornwall

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

The Cornwall Regional Task Force, involving the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police, Canada Border Services Agency and Ontario’s Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with U.S. authorities, began its investigation of 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” were allegedly smuggled both ways across the Canada/U.S. border through communities along the St. Lawrence River and were charged thousands of dollars by organizers, the RCMP alleged.

“Typically, the people being smuggled would be picked up and brought to either a hotel or residence close to the St. Lawrence River,” RCMP investigator Etienne Thauvette said. “From there, they would be driven to the water’s edge day or night and then directed onto a waiting boat. Smugglers would transport them across the river in any kind of weather with little regard for any risks to the lives of everyone on board.”

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

Police allege 51-year-old Thesingarasan Rasiah directed the smuggling ring.

A year ago, police said, Rasiah was arrested when he failed to follow bail conditions connected to an unrelated human smuggling 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 individuals 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 custody in the U.S. for 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 allege the offences occurred between July 14, 2022, and June 15, 2023. There were 85 charges related to human smuggling and the possession and laundering of the proceeds of crime. Most charges apply to Rasiah, who faces 36 charges, and Portillo, who faces 25.

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

Through search warrants, investigators seized around $385,000 in different currencies hidden in several locations. Cellphones, more than $100,000 in jewelry and “evidence of human smuggling” were also seized.

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

Retired OPP detective sergeant Matthew Eamer said there was likely more cash involved, but “at this time, we can’t quantify that.”

Eamer said other people were also allegedly involved in the network, on top of those facing charges.

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

More than 100 migrants were involved in the group’s smuggling events, which included successful and unsuccessful border crossings, police allege. The task force would not share whether the migrants were identified or where they were in the United States, though authorities said they had made some “links.”

The migrants primarily came from India, Romania and Sri Lanka. According to investigators, the cost of an illegal border crossing usually ranged from $5,000 to $6,000 US, but could reach $35,000 per person, depending on the illegal documents needed for travel.

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

Ranatiiostha Swamp, chief of the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, said the force’s investigation of those deaths was continuing.

“When the families were discovered on the St. Lawrence, a separate wrongful-death investigation was opened and we were very, very careful to make sure that they were made separate in order not to compromise one another,” Thauvette said.

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

“Today, unfortunately, smuggling has emerged into a significant issue in the region,” Kandar said.

While the investigation was “significant,” Thauvette said he was “under no illusion” that busting the organization would end all smuggling, noting that the border was long and had many entry points. 

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

Nathan Smallwood, assistant director with the Canada Border Services Agency, said people could report suspicious cross-border activities via the agency’s Border Watch Line.

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