Two charged with human smuggling

CORNWALL, ON, Aug. 15, 2022 /CNW/ - The Cornwall Regional Task Force (CRTF) has charged two people with human smuggling offences. 

The CRTF began their investigation on June 22, 2022, assisted by CBSA Intelligence Enforcement, following the observation of a suspicious vehicle within the city of Cornwall. The vehicle met with a boat driver at the Cornwall harbour. Police then observed a young female board a boat that was heading towards the waterways of Akwesasne in the direction of the United States.

The CRTF investigation led to the seizure of $6,625 in Canadian currency and the arrest of two Canadians:  Hai Duong Bui, 44, of Anjou, Quebec, and Leslie Helen Nelson, 40, of Cornwall, Ontario.

Hai Duong Bui and Leslie Helen Nelson were both charged with the following:

• Smuggling a person into the United States contrary to Section 465(1)(c) of the Criminal Code of Canada.

Bui and Nelson were released on an Undertaking and are scheduled to appear in court in Cornwall (29 Second Street West) at 9a.m. on August 25, 2022.

The CRTF coordinated with the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service (AMPS) Marine Unit and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Border Enforcement Task Force (BEST) given that the individual was smuggled into the United States.

The CRTF is a joint task force made up of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and the Ontario Ministry of Finance.

Law enforcement agencies work diligently to make our communities a safer place to live but your assistance in remaining vigilant and informing us of any suspicious activities will help us be even more effective. If you have any information related to smuggling, drug importation, trafficking, or possession, or wish to report other criminality, you can contact local police, the RCMP Cornwall Detachment at 613-937-2800, the Ontario RCMP at 1-800-387-0020, the confidential CBSA Border Watch toll-free line at 1-888-502-9060 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), at any time.

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SOURCE Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Media Contact: RCMP O Division (Ontario), Communications & Media Relations, Email: [email protected]