DERBY LINE — Canadian authorities intercepted 44 asylum seekers packed into a 16-foot U-Haul truck just across the Vermont border near Derby Line last week, arresting four alleged human smugglers in what officials describe as one of the largest trafficking operations seen in the region.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Quebec provincial police stopped the truck at 2:20 a.m. on Aug. 3 near Haskell Road in Stanstead, Quebec, just north of the Derby Line border station. Acting on a tip from U.S. authorities, Canadian officers discovered the migrants “crammed into a cube truck without any ventilation” in conditions that could have endangered their health, according to the Canada Border Services Agency.
The 44 foreign nationals, mostly from Haiti, included a 4-year-old child and a pregnant woman. Despite the dangerous conditions, none suffered serious injuries.
According to RCMP Cpl. Erique Gasse, the migrants were packed into the truck without proper ventilation, making breathing difficult in the enclosed space. He said they appeared relieved when officers opened the doors, despite being apprehended.
The asylum seekers told officers they had walked approximately two hours before crossing into Canada in Derby Line, including wading through waist-high water. Many arrived wet, hungry and exhausted from their journey in cold weather conditions. Officers provided blankets, water and food to the group.
Gasse noted this was an unusually large group by Canadian standards, as authorities typically encounter families or small groups attempting border crossings in the Derby Line-Stanstead area.
Three men were initially arrested on Aug. 4 on human smuggling charges: Ogulcan Mersin, 25; Dogan Alakus, 31; and Firat Yuksek, 31. All three face charges of inducing, aiding or abetting someone to commit an offense under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and assisting people to enter Canada outside of a designated customs office under the Customs Act. They remain detained in Sherbrooke and are scheduled for a bail hearing on Aug. 28.
A fourth suspect, Tolga Yilmaz, 34, was arrested Aug. 8 at Montreal Trudeau International Airport while allegedly attempting to leave the country. He appeared in court Aug. 9 and remains detained facing the same charges as the other three men.
The Canada Border Services Agency said it had never seen a case of this magnitude in the Derby Line-Stanstead area. The 44 migrants filed asylum claims and received independent assessments of their eligibility. Without specifying numbers, the agency confirmed that those deemed ineligible have been returned to the United States for failing to meet eligibility criteria under the Safe Third Country Agreement.
The Safe Third Country Agreement prevents people from claiming asylum in Canada if they are entering at an official land border crossing with the United States, based on the premise that the U.S. is a safe country to receive refugees.
The incident highlights the desperate circumstances facing Haitians fleeing their homeland. Almost 1.3 million people are displaced in Haiti, which has one of the world’s highest homicide rates.
Canada is implementing a $1.3-billion plan to improve border control along the Vermont-Quebec border and elsewhere, including hiring thousands of law enforcement officers and increasing aerial surveillance. Prime Minister Mark Carney has proposed the Strong Borders Act, which outlines sweeping changes to prevent refugee crossings, though it has faced criticism from advocates.
The RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency continue investigating potential connections between this operation and other recent human smuggling events. On the same weekend, authorities arrested two other individuals in the Valleyfield region for attempting to smuggle 11 foreign nationals.
The arrest represents one of the most significant human trafficking cases in recent years along Vermont’s northern border.
