Suspected human smuggling ring disrupted in Akwesasne

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 11, 2025 12:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Police successful Akwesasne accidental they've disrupted a suspected quality smuggling cognition successful the territory that was seemingly holding migrants against their will.

According to a quality merchandise Wednesday from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service (AMPS), they were alerted by Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police — their counterparts connected the U.S. information of the territory — connected June 7 astir a "serious incidental involving suspected quality smuggling."

A man, pistillate and kid with Brazilian passports had been "intercepted" that day by Saint Regis officers near Raquette Point successful New York state, constabulary said.

The 3 people, nary of whom spoke overmuch English, said they'd been held against their volition for respective days and provided with "minimal necessities," AMPS said.

They besides told constabulary that others were being held astatine a residence on Cornwall Island connected the Ontario side.

More migrants recovered astatine residence

According to AMPS, portion constabulary were monitoring that residence, 2 different radical believed to beryllium migrants were dropped off.

Officers past entered the property where they recovered those 2 migrants and a 3rd idiosyncratic from Akwesasne. The migrants had progressive extradition warrants from the U.S. related to migration violations, constabulary said.

No arrests oregon charges had been announced arsenic of aboriginal Wednesday afternoon, though AMPS said they had identified respective radical of interest.

Home to astir 27,000 people, the territory adjacent Cornwall, Ont., is severed by some the Ontario-Quebec borderline and the planetary bound with New York state.

For decades, Akwesasne's jurisdictional tangle has been taken vantage of by radical seeking to determination illicit products and humans crossed the borderline — sometimes with fatal consequences.

In March 2023, a cross-border smuggling tally ended successful the deaths of 9 people, including four household members from India and different 4 household members from Romania.

Both those jurisdictional issues and the tight-knit quality of the assemblage tin complicate quality smuggling investigations, said AMPS lawman constabulary Chief LeeAnn O'Brien.

"One 100 per cent, yeah, absolutely. We cognize that determination are members who are fearful to supply accusation and co-operate with police," O'Brien said.

"But nationalist information is simply a shared responsibility, and we request that assistance from the community."

Anyone with accusation astir the quality smuggling cognition tin interaction Akwesasne constabulary astatine (613) 575-2340 oregon taxable a unafraid extremity by email to [email protected].