AP
Fargo (USA), January 25
A Florida man arrested for human trafficking after four people were found dead in a blizzard in Canada and seven more immigrants nearby in the US were released from prison without bond on Monday Gone.
Steve Shand, 57, is charged with transporting or attempting to transport illegal immigrants. They have not been charged with the deaths. According to an affidavit, four bodies were discovered near Emerson, Manitoba. In addition, five Indian nationals were found walking on the Minnesota side of the border and two more were found in a 15-passenger van of the Shand nearby. The affidavit did not explain why most of them were no longer in the van.
Shand appeared on Monday via livestream from a prison in Grand Forks, North Dakota. US Magistrate Judge Hildy Bouber of Minnesota did not order the bond, but said Shand should report to a supervisor in her home state of Florida and hand over her passport or any other travel document.
Shand must appear for all court proceedings, comply with all laws and must not approach any victim or witness in the case. He would only be allowed to travel to Florida or Minnesota, where court proceedings would take place. Some hearings can be scheduled virtually, Bobir said. Bobir ordered Shand to undergo a mental health evaluation within 60 days.
His lawyer, Doug Miko, said that Shand waived his right to a preliminary hearing regarding possible reason for proceeding in the case. The US Border Patrol in North Dakota intercepted a Shand’s van just south of the Canadian border on Wednesday. Around the same time, court documents said five other people were seen by law enforcement in nearby snow. The group told officers they had been walking in cold conditions outside for more than 11 hours.
Officers found three bodies at once – a man, a woman and a child – about 33 feet (10 meters) from the border near Emerson, Manitoba. The search continued and the body of a teenager was found a short distance away. They were all dressed in winter clothes, the documents show, but that would not have been enough to protect them in freezing conditions.
Two Indian citizens were hospitalized. It is unclear what will happen to the seven survivors. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said he was not arrested by that agency and is not in their custody.
“It’s an absolutely mind-blowing incident,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during an appearance in Ottawa on Friday. US officials alleged in court documents that Shand is likely to be involved in other border crossings, including two in December. (AP)