How a Canadian trucker used a refrigerated produce trailer to smuggle people into the U.S.
How a Canadian trucker used his refrigerated produce trailer to smuggle people into the United States
11 hours ago
Duration 2:32
A Canadian truck driver will serve three years in American prison after he pleaded guilty to using the refrigerated trailer of his semi-truck to smuggle people into the United States for money. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested Husain Al Kawwaz after surveillance video showed he let 10 Vietnamese citizens out of trailer after crossing the Ambassador Bridge around midnight on Aug. 7, 2024. The CBC's Chris Ensing reports.
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A Canadian truck driver will serve three years in an American prison after he pleaded guilty to using the refrigerated trailer of his semi-truck to smuggle people into the United States in exchange for money.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested Husain Al Kawwaz after surveillance video appeared to show he let 10 Vietnamese citizens out of his trailer after crossing the Ambassador Bridge around midnight on Aug. 7, 2024.
Kawwaz, a Canadian citizen with two young children who lives in Leamington, Ont., has since admitted those weren't the only people he has smuggled into the country, according to court documents.
He told CBP officers the total number is somewhere between 35 and 99 individuals, and that he was paid $500 for each person he successfully got across the border.
Court documents do not say who paid Kawwaz or what happened to the 10 people who were brought across the border along with his produce shipment.
"These crimes not only violate our nation's immigration laws but also endanger the lives of vulnerable individuals who are often subject to dangerous and inhumane conditions," said a CBP spokesperson, in an emailed statement to CBC News.
"The recent guilty plea of Husain Al Kawwaz for his human smuggling attempt at the Ambassador Bridge – Fort Street cargo facility is a testament to the dedication of our CBP officers who work tirelessly to disrupt criminal networks that seek to exploit our borders for profit."
'Inhumane' actions motivated by greed: court documents
Kawwaz, through his lawyer, told the court he is "deeply regretful of the bad decision that he made."
He said Kawwaz "understands that the transport of humans in a refrigerator truck is inhumane and could have resulted in even greater devastation."
The prosecution said that "out of greed, and maybe desperation, he made some very bad decisions," when agreeing to smuggle people into the United States from Canada.
Kawwaz was facing a maximum sentence of 10 years but instead was given three years in a federal prison. He'll be deported back to Canada when freed.
Locked people in a refrigerated trailer
In a criminal complaint filed to the court, a CBP officer said Kawwaz told them he was approached at a truck stop in Windsor, Ont., with an offer to smuggle people across the border into the United States.
Kawwaz would pick people up in Windsor, lock them into the refrigerated trailer of his semi-truck, and then cross the border into Detroit, according to court documents.
Once he made it across and returned to Canada, Kawwaz would be paid $500 for each person he smuggled.
Border officers directed Kawwaz to pull his truck into secondary inspection at the bridge the night he was caught.
U.S. border officers wanted to inspect Kawwaz's produce and x-ray his trailer, according to court documents, which took about an hour to complete.
While his vehicle was being inspected, officers found 10 people hiding in the secondary inspection parking lot near where his rig was parked.
As officers tried to figure out where the 10 people without proper documentation came from, Kawwaz was allowed to leave secondary and carry out his delivery.
But once officers reviewed security video and discovered they were let out of the refrigerated trailer by him, he was then ordered back to the facility through dispatch and arrested.
Kawaaz owned and operated his own commercial semi-truck and trailer licensed to operate in Canada which has logos for Topline Farms on the side.
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