
Canada-U.S. citizen in custody in deadly St. Lawrence River human smuggling case
WASHINGTON — A dual Canadian-American citizen U.S. authorities allege was part of a deadly human smuggling operation that left migrants drowned in the St. Lawrence River will remain in custody following a detention hearing in the Northern District of New York District Court on Tuesday.
The U.S. Justice Department said 34-year-old Timothy Oakes was arrested as he attempted to enter the United States on June 15.
Oakes is from Akwesasne, which straddles the Canada-U.S. border west of Montreal. He was indicted in April for conspiring with others to smuggle people from Canada into the United States, as well as four counts of alien smuggling for profit and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death.
U.S. court documents allege Oakes was a key facilitator in the smuggling operation which left a Romanian family of four, including two young children, dead in March 2023.