Human smuggler uses jet ski to get people from Canada to Michigan, feds say
Human smugglers used a jet ski to transport multiple people from Canada to Michigan, according to federal authorities.
The jet ski left Canada with three people onboard on Aug. 20, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in an Aug. 23 news release. Agents flying overhead saw the jet ski cross the St. Clair River and land in Port Huron, Michigan.
Two people disembarked and began walking away while the jet ski returned to Canada, authorities said.
The two people, later identified by authorities as Brazilian men ages 34 and 35, got into a vehicle with a 39-year-old American driver, the release said. Border Patrol agents on the ground stopped the vehicle soon after.
Meanwhile, the jet ski returned from Canada and dropped off two more passengers, a Brazilian man, 47, and woman, 44, authorities said. Agents soon stopped the second pair.
All four Brazilians — none of whom had legal permission to be in the U.S. — were arrested, officials said.
The American driver who’d picked up the first two men was also arrested and faces charges of unlawful transportation, the release said.
According to court documents obtained by WXYZ, a Canadian smuggler paid the driver $1,000 per person to drive the people to New York.
Canadian authorities arrested two more individuals in connection with the smuggling incident, officials said in the release.
Investigations are ongoing on in both countries.
Port Huron is about 60 miles northeast of Detroit, Michigan. Near Port Huron, the St. Clair River separating the U.S. and Canada is less than a mile across, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Human smuggler uses jet ski to get people from Canada to Michigan, feds say."
