Human Smuggling Operation Uncovered After Four, Including Two Toddlers, Die Crossing U.S. Border
A dual Canadian-American citizen, Timothy Oakes, 34, has been arrested and detained for his alleged role in a human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of a family of four, including two young children, in the St. Lawrence River.
Oakes, from the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation, Canada, was apprehended on June 15 while attempting to enter the U.S. at the Massena, New York Port of Entry.
Oakes was indicted on charges including conspiring to engage in alien smuggling and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death.
Authorities allege Oakes was a key facilitator, using his home as a staging area and piloting boats for illegal crossings.
His brother, Casey Oakes, died when a boat carrying the Romanian family capsized in March 2023.
Three U.S. co-conspirators have already pleaded guilty in the case.
Officials from the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and ICE HSI emphasized their commitment to dismantling human smuggling networks and bringing justice to those responsible for such tragic deaths.
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