A Somali living in Winnipeg has been charged with human smuggling after eight migrants from various parts of Africa were seen illegally crossing the Manitoba-U.S. border late last month, RCMP say.
Abshir Mohamed Osman, 35, was charged after he was found driving a rental vehicle with eight people from Africa inside near the Canada Border Services Agency’s port of entry in Gretna, Man., on Aug. 22, police said in a news release Monday.
The migrants, who are age 19 to 48, are from Chad, Guinea and Sudan, police said. They were arrested under the Customs Act.
Osman is a Somali national who lives in Winnipeg, police said. He was released on several conditions and is scheduled to appear in Emerson Provincial Court on Oct. 16.
Officers watched the group illegally cross into Canada from the United States before getting into the car, police said.
The eight migrants were turned over to the CBSA for processing as the police investigation continues, Sgt. Lance Goldau, head of Manitoba’s Integrated Border Enforcement Team, said in the release.
The migrants were interviewed thanks to officers who can speak Arabic and French, he said.