21 hours ago
Last Updated:May 29, 2025, 20:44 IST
One of the accused is an Indian national formerly residing in Florida and was sentenced to 10 years and one month in federal prison by a district court in Minnesota.
Two men have been sentenced in human smuggling case
The US Department of Justice on Thursday said that two men have been sentenced in the District of Minnesota. The arrest comes after they were convicted in a case related to an international human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of four Indian nationals, including a three-year-old and an 11-year-old child, in January 2022.
According to the Office of Public Affairs, one of the arrested has been identified as 29-year-old Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel. He is an Indian national formerly residing in Florida and was sentenced to 10 years and one month in federal prison by a district court in Minnesota. He will now be removed from the United States following his sentence.
His co-conspirator, 50-year-old Steve Anthony Shand, also from Florida, was sentenced to six years and six months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.
The Office of Public Affairs, US Department of Justice, stated: “Two men were sentenced today in the District of Minnesota after being convicted at a jury trial for their roles in an international human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of four Indian nationals, including… pic.twitter.com/KZ5VmAnXPh — ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2025".
“Patel and Shand endangered thousands of lives for their personal enrichment and are responsible for the deaths of two small children who froze to death on their watch," said Matthew R Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, according to the Office of Public Affairs. He added, “This case demonstrates the grave danger associated with human smuggling operations. I thank the prosecutors and our law enforcement partners in the US and in Canada who are working to secure the northern border and end the perilous smuggling of aliens into the United States."
The case originates from 2022, when the two accused brought dozens of people from India to Canada on student visas and subsequently smuggled them across the US border.
The victims, Jagdish Patel, his wife, Vaishaliben, their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi, and 3-year-old son, Dharmik, froze to death. Their bodies were discovered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on January 19, 2022, at the border between Manitoba and Minnesota. The family resided in Dingucha, a village in Gujarat.
According to the Office of Public Affairs, Patel and Shand received USD 100,000 for smuggling individuals from India to the US.
Location :United States of America (USA)
First Published:News world Two Sentenced In US For Human Smuggling That Killed Four Indians, Including Children
