Fourth man charged after 44 people, mostly Haitians, found in truck by U.S. border

MONTREAL — The RCMP say a fourth person has been charged in an alleged human smuggling operation after 44 people were found in “horrific” conditions inside a cube truck earlier this month in Quebec near the United States border.

Tolga Yilmaz, 34, was arrested at Montreal Trudeau International Airport on Aug. 8, allegedly on his way out of the country. The RCMP announced the arrest Tuesday in a media release.

“He appeared in court on Aug. 9 and remains detained pending further proceedings,” the RCMP said. “The investigation is ongoing and further charges may be laid.”

The Mounties and Canada Border Services Agency say Yilmaz was allegedly involved in the illegal entry into Canada of 44 people on Aug. 3 near Stanstead, Que.

The cube van was stopped by police about 2:20 a.m. after Canadian authorities received a tip from their U.S. counterparts about a group of migrants planning to cross the border.

Police said the migrants told officers they had crossed the border on foot, walking for two hours until the truck picked them up.

Three other men were arrested on charges including aiding or abetting someone to commit an offence under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Ogulcan Mersin, 25, and Dogan Alakus and Firat Yuksek, both 31, were charged on Aug. 4.

They are due back in court on Aug. 28 for their next court appearance.

Yilmaz faces the same charges and remains detained like the other three accused.

The 44 migrants were mostly Haitian, and included a pregnant woman and children as young as four. Despite the poor conditions they were found in, they were not seriously hurt.

The RCMP and CBSA have been working together to crack down on illegal crossings. Police said two other individuals were charged in the Valleyfield region, southwest of Montreal, for attempting to smuggle 11 foreign nationals on Sunday.

A 25 and 27-old-man appeared by video in the case.

“Investigations are underway to establish links between these individuals and other recent human smuggling events,” police said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press