Man charged with facilitating illegal crossing of four people into the U.S. at Quebec border

An RCMP officer checks the border between Quebec and New York State on Roxham Road in St. Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que. on Jan.15, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi) (The Canadian Press)

An Ontario man is facing conspiracy charges for allegedly facilitating the illegal crossing of four people into the U.S. through the Quebec border.

According to the RCMP, Kamalanathan Kathapillai, 61, of Barrie, Ont., drove a group of four people to an unguarded area on the border in Dundee, in the Montérégie area, on April 25, 2024.

He was arrested that same day in his vehicle and police seized CAD $1,100 and USD $1,100 in cash. He is scheduled to appear at the Valleyfield courthouse on March 10.

- Suspects charged for smuggling people across U.S. border into Quebec, RCMP says

“Smugglers facilitate the entry of people into Canada or the United States by illegal means, while making a profit from them,” the RCMP said in a news release.

“By charging their passengers large sums of money to transport them, human smugglers have turned illegal migration into a lucrative business.”