Canadian trucker caged for smuggling Vietnamese nationals into U.S.
Plus, another Canadian has been indicted in Detroit for allegedly trying to smuggle $2.5M of cocaine into Canada
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Hussein Al Kawwaz confessed to smuggling more than 100 illegal immigrants into the U.S. as part of a sophisticated human smuggling ring.
And it’s going to cost the 34-year-old Iraqi immigrant, who is a permanent resident of Canada.
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Canadian trucker caged for smuggling Vietnamese nationals into U.S. Back to video
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Al Kawwaz, of Leamington, Ont., pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and was sentenced to three years in a U.S. federal prison. He had faced 10 years in prison.
According to the Windsor Star, Al Kawwaz was pinched on the American side of the Ambassador Bridge while smuggling 10 Vietnamese nationals into the U.S.
He was “aware that smuggling individuals could result in prison time,” the sentencing memorandum said.
The trucker was charged with alien smuggling for commercial advantage and private financial. He also had to forfeit his 2019 Freightliner truck and 2021 CIMC refrigerated trailer.
Border officials said just after 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 7, 2024, Al Kawwaz crossed the Ambassador Bridge in his truck and applied for admission into the U.S. He was then referred to a secondary inspection for an X-ray examination of the truck.
About an hour later, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers found the Vietnamese citizens hiding in a secondary truck lot. Officials later reviewed CCTV footage that revealed the illegals exiting Al Kawwaz’s truck.
He was ordered to return to the port of entry and questioned. The driver copped to smuggling the Vietnamese for “financial gain.”
After completing his sentence, he will be deported to Canada. It is unknown if he will then be deported to Iraq.
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Meanwhile, another trucker — Canadian citizen Muhammad Shaikh — has been indicted in Detroit for allegedly trying to smuggle $2.5 million worth of cocaine into Canada. He now faces federal drug trafficking charges.
Shaikh is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine as the result of a vehicle inspection at the Ambassador Bridge, court records show.
“The volume of controlled substance and the manner in which they were being transported from the U.S. to Canada is indicative of a broader drug trafficking effort,” an affidavit from one of the investigating officers said.
CBP agents discovered the dope on Tuesday. Shaikh allegedly told authorities he was delivering auto parts from Indiana.
Upon inspection, agents discovered five duffel bags under the bunk in the cab. A K-9 team detected narcotics and all of the parcels tested positive for cocaine, the court report said.
Shaikh reportedly told investigators that while he was in Indiana he was approached by a man who asked him to deliver some other packages into Canada for cash. The man also gave him a burner phone.
During the probe, CPB officers saw an incoming call on a cellphone via the application What’s App — then the cellphone data was remotely erased.
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