A “gigantic” network of passenger on the Canadian-American border dismantled

South of Quebec was the hunting ground of an important Mexican criminal network, which did not hesitate to use and recruit indebted migrants to enlarge its network, according to American justice.

Between June 30, 2023 and April 30, 2024, this well-established organization, led by Mexican nationals illegally installed in the United States, allowed thousands of migrants to cross the Canadian-American border.

Each week, “hundreds” of people were able to benefit from the services of this group, which literally worked as a business By making important profits.

This information, which describes the impressive way of making this criminal organization, appear in dozens of American courts, which Radio-Canada was able to consult.

It is, in all likelihood, the most important organized criminal network ever discovered and dismantled at the Canadian-American border.

It is a gigantic criminal organizationindicates a Canadian police source, which is not allowed to speak publicly.

Photos of bank transfers, account registers, smuggling receipts, border cards, routes, bank cards and identity papers were even found by the police.

According to our information, this organization would be affiliated with a cartel, which is however not identified in these court documents.

Their accomplices, based in Canada, are not – either – mentioned in this investigation carried out by the American border police and a group mixing the American federal police (FBI), the US Anti -Drogue Agency (DEA) and the Department of Internal Security.

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A lucrative and well -established organization

The leadership of the organization extended over three countries: the United States, Mexico and Canadadescribes the American prosecutor John A. Sarconne III, in a letter addressed to the judge responsible for the file.

In exchange for remuneration, the organization had hundreds of foreigners pass a week from Mexico, Central America and South America to bring them illegally into American territory.

Concretely, this organization allowed migrants from Mexico, Central America and South America to enter the United States via Canada. And, more specifically, by southern Quebec.

According to American justice, this network operated mainly, on the American side, in the counties of Franklin and Clinton, which extend from the St. Lawrence River, at the level of Cornwall and the Akwesasne reserve, to the west of Lake Champlain.

It is in this area that the city of Plattsburgh is located, the Roxham path, but also many woods, fields and paths conducive to illegal crossings, due to roads parallel to the border, allowing smugglers to avoid the authorities.

This phenomenon had been revealed by Investigationin the fall of 2023. Criminal networks were obtained and manufactured Mexican passports, allowing migrants or criminals to easily arrive at the airports of Montreal and Toronto, since no visa was at the time asked Mexicans to enter Canada.

Accomplices then recovered these people in order to drive them in southern Quebec, to clandestine the border, where another driver was waiting for them.

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Clandestine passages to adjust the debts

These drivers notably came from Columbus, in Ohio, underlines the American justice. They were remunerated in proportion to the number of migrants they were carrying in their vehicle.

Each individual had to pay several thousand dollars to arrive in the United States. This sum could also be spent by family members.

Those who did not have the means to settle this amount were Solicited to work for the organization by illegally introducing other migrants to repay their own debtscan we read in a judicial document.

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The organization did not hesitate to also publicize its success and its operation, using social networks. As Radio-Canada has already explained (new window)these promotional videos circulate on Facebook, Instagram or Tiktok.

In these messages, we see migrants thank their smugglers, while praising the security and the ease with which the organization has led to the clandestine crossing.

These testimonies were used by the organization to recruit other migrants so that they pay their services to arrive clandestinely in the United Statesdescribes American justice.

Return of the visa in 2024

At the end of April, the police arrested four Mexican nationals in Ohio, Georgia and Kansas City: Ignacio Diaz-Perez, Samuel Diaz-Perez, Salvador Diaz-Diaz and Edgar Sanchez-Solis.

The latter, 23, is considered One of the leaders in the organization. With his alleged accomplices, he illegally arrived in the United States a few years ago. They are targeted by 25 charges.

Diaz-Perez and Diaz-Diaz had for their part was already expelled, respectively in 2019 and 2024, before returning and continuing their smuggling activities, according to American justice.

Since these events, the situation has evolved on the Canadian-American border. At the end of February 2024, under pressure from the American administration, the government of Justin Trudeau finally reintroduced a visa for part of the Mexicans wishing to come to Canada.

This measure had been lifted by the Canadian Prime Minister after coming to power in 2015.

According to our information, several criminal groups, including the Cartels of Sinaloa and Jalisco Nouvelle Generation, have greatly benefited from this situation. These organizations were notably involved in drug trafficking, firearms and clandestine passages between the United States and Canada.

Recently, the Juarez cartel has also appeared on the Canadian-American border, broadcasting new videos on social networks to boast their presence and their activities.

With the collaboration of Daniel Tremblay