A Regina woman is charged with human smuggling after a four-month long investigation into human smuggling that is still continuing.
At 9 p.m. on April 14, 2017 a Canadian woman was intercepted north of the border with nine foreign nationals in her vehicle.
Forty-three-year-old Michelle Omoruyi is charged with human smuggling under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and conspiracy to commit human smuggling.
She will make her first appearance in Estevan provincial court on May 15, 2017 at 9.30 a.m.
Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirms the nine were west Africans but would not provide age, nationality or gender.
They were unharmed and have since claimed asylum and have been released.
The CBSA had been investigating human smuggling along the border since December 23, 2016, having questioned a returning Canadian male resident. That information led to an investigation being launched with the RCMP.
That work continued until evidence was uncovered to suggest smuggling was happening between designated border crossing.
On April 14, U.S. Customs and Border Protection identified a suspect in the CBSA investigation as he entered America.
That night CBSA alerted the RCMP that a smuggling attempt may be imminent which then led to the arrest of Omoruyi.
That same day, the Grand Forks sector of US border patrol arrested several people although details are not at this time being released.
The RCMP is not revealing any details about Omoruyi or the male Canadian resident nor how they are connected. It is only known that they have resident status only.