A search and rescue operation near the Canada-U.S. border led to the rescue of five people and the arrest of two individuals on Sunday.
The RCMP says its operation involved 20 officers and took around eight hours. When found, all five individuals were suffering from hypothermia and had been unable to continue their trek.
Authorities say they crossed illegally from the United States to Canada, and were located around Hinchinbrooke, in the Montérégie region of Quebec.
Get breaking National news
A driver and an alleged smuggler were arrested. A statement from the RCMP says the smuggler was released on a promise to appear and will face charges, and the driver was taken into custody by the Canada Border Services Agency.
The statement says the border enforcement team began the search based on a tip from the United States Border Patrol (USBP).
- Montreal vigil honours 3-year-old killed in LaSalle bouncy castle accident
- Vitali Stefanski denies harming ex-wife Tatjana during murder trial testimony
- ETS taking over Valley Line LRT operations from TransEd more than 2 decades early
- Corman Park delays P4G exit decision, sets 6‑month negotiation window
The Black Hawk helicopter, recently chartered to support border protection efforts, was engaged in the operation.
The deployment came as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian exports for what he has called Canada’s failure to curb the illegal flow of people and drugs across the border.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.