Suspected human smuggling ring disrupted in Akwesasne

Police in Akwesasne say they've disrupted a suspected human smuggling operation in the territory that was apparently holding migrants against their will.

According to a news release Wednesday from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service (AMPS), they were alerted by Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police — their counterparts on the U.S. portion of the territory — on June 7 about a "serious incident involving suspected human smuggling."

A man, woman and child with Brazilian passports had been "intercepted" that afternoon by Saint Regis officers near Raquette Point in New York state, police said.

The three people, none of whom spoke much English, said they'd been held against their will for several days and provided with "minimal necessities," AMPS said.

They also told police that others were being held at a residence on Cornwall Island on the Ontario side.

More migrants found at residence

According to AMPS, while police were monitoring that residence, two other people believed to be migrants were dropped off.

Officers then entered the property where they found those two migrants and a third person from Akwesasne. The migrants had active extradition warrants from the U.S. related to immigration violations, police said.

No arrests or charges had been announced as of early Wednesday afternoon, although AMPS said they had identified several people of interest.

Home to about 27,000 people, the territory near Cornwall, Ont., is severed by both the Ontario-Quebec border and the international boundary with New York state.

For decades, Akwesasne's jurisdictional tangle has been taken advantage of by people seeking to move illicit products and humans across the border — sometimes with fatal consequences.

In March 2023, a cross-border smuggling run ended in the deaths of nine people, including four family members from India and another four family members from Romania.

Both those jurisdictional issues and the tight-knit nature of the community can complicate human smuggling investigations, said AMPS deputy police Chief LeeAnn O'Brien.

"One hundred per cent, yeah, absolutely. We know that there are members who are fearful to provide information and co-operate with police," O'Brien said.

"But public safety is a shared responsibility, and we need that assistance from the community."

Anyone with information about the human smuggling operation can contact Akwesasne police at (613) 575-2340 or submit a secure tip by email to tips@akwesasne.ca.