Canadian police apprehended a woman attempting to smuggle nine Africans into the Canadian province of Saskatchewan from North Dakota, officials announced Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police encountered Michelle Omoruyi, 43, on the Canadian side of the border, between the North Patrol and Northgate entry points.
She had nine people from West Africa crammed into her vehicle. The group was taken into custody briefly and then released and allowed to apply for refugee protection, according to police Inspector Donovan Fisher.
Canada had been investigating a potential smuggling plot affecting Saskatchewan since December, but on Friday, Canadian police were tipped off by U.S. border officials about a possible smuggling attempt.
Omoruyi’s nationality was not identified and investigators did not indicate whether she was smuggling people as part of a larger operation. She will be charged with human smuggling and conspiracy to commit human smuggling, Canadian police said. Omoruyi will appear in Canadian court May 15.
