An individual, aged 28, has been apprehended for allegedly recruiting a driver involved in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the tragic deaths of a family of four from India attempting to enter the U.S. from Canada more than two years ago, as per authorities.
The suspect, Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, also known as “Dirty Harry,” was taken into custody in Chicago on human smuggling charges based on a warrant issued in September. It is alleged that Patel enlisted Steve Shand of Deltona, Florida, to transport migrants from the Canadian border to the Chicago area. Shand, who claims Patel paid him $25,000 for five trips in December 2021 and January 2022, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is awaiting trial on March 25.
Patel’s lawyer, Michael Leonard, stated that they have not been provided with sufficient information regarding the accusations. Leonard mentioned, “Based on the fact that we have only received hearsay statements in the form of a Criminal Complaint, we are unable to fully assess the Government’s claims,” in a statement to The Associated Press.
Shand was driving a 15-passenger van that was stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol in North Dakota, just south of the Canadian border, on January 19, 2022. Authorities discovered five individuals in the snow nearby, all Indian nationals, who claimed they had been walking for over 11 hours in severe blizzard conditions. The incident led to the tragic deaths of a man, a woman, and two children, with one child found separately. The cause of death was exposure, with temperatures as low as 29 degrees below zero in northern Minnesota at the time.
The migrant carrying the backpack revealed that he had paid around $87,000 to an organization in India to facilitate the move, according to a federal complaint from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Prosecutors believe Harshkumar Patel orchestrated the smuggling scheme, which resulted in the tragic deaths of Jagdish and Vaishaliben Patel and their two children. It is unclear if the victims were related to Harshkumar Patel, a common name in India. The complaint also mentioned that Patel entered the U.S. illegally in 2018 after being denied a visa multiple times.
Shand informed investigators that Patel runs a gambling business in Orange City, Florida, and operates a taxi service there. The complaint included phone records showing extensive communication between Shand and Patel regarding the trafficking logistics. One text message from Shand to Patel on January 19, 2022, read, “Make sure everyone is dressed for blizzard conditions please.”
Authorities in India arrested three suspected black-market immigration agents in connection with the case last year.
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