Canadian trucker sentenced to federal prison after smuggling Vietnamese into US

Yahoo

12-02-2025

A Canadian trucker accused last year of smuggling 10 Vietnamese citizens into the United States inside the commercial trailer of his semitruck was sentenced to three years in federal prison, according to federal court records.
Husain Al Kawwaz also was sentenced Feb. 3 to a year of supervised release, nonreporting, when he is released from prison, according to the records in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
He pleaded guilty to one count of alien smuggling for commercial advantage, according to a plea agreement in October. A second charge of alien smuggling — failure to present was dismissed. He was indicted after the incident Aug. 7 and has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since Aug. 9, according to court records.
The charge to which Al Kawwaz pleaded guilty had a mandatory minimum sentence of 36 months in prison, according to the plea agreement.
Messages were left Tuesday for his attorney, who could not be immediately reached.
Al Kawwaz, 34, is a native of Iraq and a citizen of Canada, and owner/operator of a Canadian licensed semitruck and trailer, which delivered produce and other products between Canada and the U.S., according to the plea agreement.
It states that about 11:30 p.m. Aug. 7, he crossed the Ambassador Bridge from Canada and applied for admission to the U.S. at the Fort Street Cargo Facility in Detroit. A Customs and Border Protection inspection officer referred him and his truck to secondary inspection for an X-ray examination of the truck and agricultural inspection of his commodity, which was produce from Canada.
About 12:30 a.m. Aug. 8, Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 10 Vietnamese citizens hiding in the secondary inspection parking lot, near where Al Kawwaz's truck was parked. About 1:25 a.m. that day, Al Kawwaz's inspections were complete and he was released with his truck into the U.S., according to the agreement.
It reads that about 35 minutes later, officers viewed security footage and discovered the Vietnamese citizens exited his truck after he parked in the secondary inspection lot. They contacted his dispatcher and asked him to return to the port of entry, which he did. He was interviewed and admitted to smuggling the Vietnamese citizens into the U.S., per the plea agreement.
It states he also smuggled other people into the U.S. between April 2024 and August 2024, about three to four times a month. He agreed the number of people is between 25 and 99, according to the plea agreement. He was paid about $500 per person, according to the federal prosecutors' sentencing memorandum.
Their memorandum reads that the Vietnamese nationals were interviewed, with each describing their travel in Al Kawwaz's truck and each indicating they paid money to be smuggled into the U.S.
It states that Al Kawwaz said he picked up the passengers, applied a seal to the rear doors of the trailer and drove from Windsor toward the Detroit port of entry.
He removed the seal from the doors after he was referred to secondary inspection and allowed the passengers to leave the trailer. He claimed he was going to pick them up after he cleared secondary inspection, but did not because they were no longer in the parking lot, and he left the port of entry, leaving them behind, according to the prosecutors' memorandum.
Prosecutors wrote that smuggling undocumented people into the U.S. "is serious."
"In this particular case, the undocumented persons were placed in the back of the refrigerated semi-truck, locked inside (using a bolt seal), as they were brought across the border. What would be their fate if the vehicle caught fire, crashed, or they were otherwise unable to exit? What if the oxygen supply ran low? What if it got too cold? Nobody but AL KAWWAZ knew they were in the back of the truck. What if he became ill or was detained and was not able to unlock the door of the truck to allow them to get out?" prosecutors wrote in their memorandum.
It adds that Al Kawwaz's brother bought a truck, allowing Al Kawwaz to become an owner/operator, and that Al Kawwaz was making payments of about $5,000 per month to his brother for the vehicle. Al Kawwaz crossed the border into the U.S. more than 400 times, usually three to five times per week, according to the document.
Prosecutors also wrote in their memorandum that Al Kawwaz appeared to have been living a good life and supporting his family, but: "Unfortunately, out of greed, and maybe desperation, he made some very bad decisions."
According to the defense's sentencing memorandum, Al Kawwaz will be deported to Canada following completion of his prison term and he agreed to forfeit his truck and refrigerated trailer.
"This Defendant has fully accepted responsibility for these incidents and has been fully cooperative with the Court," according to defense's sentencing memorandum by Al Kawwaz's attorney, Remond Atie.
It indicates that Al Kawwaz is "described as a hardworking individual who goes above and beyond in all that he does and for all those he encounters," adding that his friends and family know him to be "kind, generous, supportive, loving and giving of whatever he can whenever he can."
Al Kawwaz, who is married with two young children and the sole financial supporter for his family, "is saddened by the fact that his poor choice will permanently and negatively affect the lives of his wife and daughters, knowing that he may not be able to see them and help raise them for a long time," according to Atie's sentencing memorandum.
It states Al Kawwaz never had any prior issues with the law in the U.S. or Canada, that he recognizes what he did was illegal and that he "understands that the transport of humans in a refrigerator truck is inhumane and could have resulted in even greater devastation. For this he is exceedingly remorseful, and deeply regretful of the bad decision that he made that will forever affect his life and the lives of his wife and daughters."
The defense's memorandum adds that Al Kawwaz "was honest and admitted to having done this before, knowing that it could result in a longer sentence." It also states he provided information regarding the people who requested transport. Court records did not reveal the status of the Vietnamese citizens involved in the August incident.
Contact Christina Hall: [e-mail]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Canadian trucker gets prison time after smuggling Vietnamese into US