RCMP say three alleged human smugglers charged with conspiracy in Quebec

MONTREAL — Three men are facing conspiracy charges in Quebec after allegedly helping to smuggle temporary foreign workers across the border into the United States, the RCMP said Tuesday.

Edward Alejandro Rojas Sanchez, 24, Julian Camilo Rojas Murcia, 27, and Fernando Esparza Dominguez, 33, are charged with conspiracy to commit an offence in the United States. Two of the accused are from Montreal and one is from the city’s Laval suburb.

The police force says an investigation by the Estrie integrated border enforcement team found that the suspects allegedly conspired to bring a group of people from Montreal to an unguarded location along the border in the Montérégie region on at least one occasion.

RCMP Cpl. Martina Pillarova says the investigation began in December 2023 based on a tip from a member of the public. She says the investigation, led by the RCMP’s eastern region unit, found that a “network of suspected smugglers” were working to transport and guide temporary foreign workers from Montreal into the United States.

“They were promised a very safe route to the United States, and the clients actually were guided remotely by a cellphone,” Pillarova said, adding that the three accused allegedly charged each person $4,000.

She said the men were arrested last spring, and charges were laid last week. The three are not detained.

Pillarova did not confirm how many people successfully crossed the border, other than to say “at least on one occasion (the three accused) helped people to cross into the United States.”

The charges come as Canadian officials are working to boost security along the border amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to stop the flow of illegal crossings and drugs.

Quebec’s public security minister has urged the Canadian government to focus its efforts in a region known as the Swanton sector, where more than 70 per cent of illegal crossings into the U.S. occur.

François Bonnardel said last week that 19,000 of the 26,000 illegal crossings between Canada and the United States in 2024 happened in that sector, which includes parts of Quebec, Ontario and the states of Vermont and New York. Swanton also includes Akwesasne, a Mohawk territory that straddles Quebec, Ontario and New York state.

Pillarova said that while the suspects allegedly promised people a safe route into the U.S., no such thing exists. “It’s very difficult to have a very safe route especially if you’re crossing the border illegally,” she said. “People are often ill-equipped and not dressed appropriately for the weather so it’s very, very dangerous.”

The three accused are expected to appear in court on Feb. 4 in Montreal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2025.

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press