GRAND FORKS — A Florida man charged in a deadly
human smuggling case
at the U.S.-Canadian border pleaded not guilty in federal court on Friday, May 26.
Steve Shand, 48, is accused of illegally bringing migrants from India into the U.S. during a frigid January night in 2022.
Border Patrol agents arrested Shand while he was driving between the ports of entry at Pembina, North Dakota, and Lancaster, Minnesota.
Court documents say there were two undocumented migrants inside his van at the time.
After his arrest, officers found the bodies of the Patel family, just 30 feet north of the Canadian border in Manitoba.
The family of four died from exposure, including their 11-year-old and 3-year-old children.
Authorities also found five more people walking in dangerous conditions along the same road Shand was arrested.
He faces up to 20 years in prison if he is found guilty.
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