US Edition
Canada-U.S. citizen in custody in deadly St. Lawrence River human smuggling case
- Timothy Oakes, a 34-year-old dual citizen of Canada and the United States, was taken into custody on June 15 at the Massena port of entry in New York for his involvement in a fatal human smuggling scheme.
- On April 9, Oakes was formally charged with conspiring with others in the trafficking of undocumented individuals, along with multiple counts related to smuggling for financial gain and smuggling activities that led to fatalities, connected to a cross-border smuggling network operating between Canada and northern New York.
- In March 2023, Oakes provided shelter for a Romanian family of four for roughly a day before taking them to a boat launch, where his brother Casey attempted to transport them across the St. Lawrence River; unfortunately, the vessel overturned, resulting in the deaths of all five individuals.
- Matthew R. Galeotti, a Justice Department official, explained that Oakes and those working with him gained financially by running a human smuggling scheme motivated purely by profit, charging around $1,000 per person despite the life-threatening dangers involved.
- Oakes remains detained following a federal court hearing, while a joint U.S.-Canadian investigation continues to dismantle the smuggling network that caused multiple migrant deaths amid dangerous weather conditions.
40 Articles
40 Articles
Canadian Arrested After Migrant Family Drowns Trying to Cross U.S. Border.
PULSE POINTSWHAT HAPPENED: A dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. was arrested for his role in a smuggling ring that resulted in the deaths of a family of four and his brother.WHO WAS INVOLVED: Timothy Oakes, 34, and three U.S.-based co-conspirators, Dakota Montour, Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, and Janet Terrance.WHEN & WHERE: The smuggling occurred in May 2023 near the St. Lawrence River on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation.KEY QUOTE: “He…
Canadian Arrested For Role In ‘Deadly Alien Smuggling Conspiracy’ That Killed A Family Of Four
A Canadian-American dual citizen was arrested this week for his role in a smuggling ring that left a family of four, including two children, dead. Timothy Oakes, 34, was part of a group that would smuggle migrants across the St. Lawrence River into New York, the Justice Department says. He routinely hosted migrants in his home on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation, which borders the river, before ferrying them across on his boat. In May 202…
Canada-US Citizen in Custody in Deadly St. Lawrence River Human Smuggling Case
A dual Canadian-American citizen that United States authorities allege was part of a deadly human smuggling operation that left migrants drowned in the St. Lawrence River will remain in custody following a detention hearing in the Northern District of New York District Court on Tuesday. The U.S. Justice Department said 34-year-old Timothy Oakes was arrested as he attempted to enter the United States on June 15. Oakes, who is from Akwesasne which…
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