Second man arrested for ties to human smuggling ring

by April Scheinoha
Reporter

Another man has been arrested in the human smuggling ring allegedly responsible for attempting to bring a family of four illegally to the United States. While making their journey in January 2022, the family froze to death in Canada.

Harshkumar Ramnlal Patel, 28, has been charged in U.S. District Court with transportation of an illegal alien and conspiracy to bring and attempt to bring an illegal alien to the United States, according to online court documents. He was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 21. The U.S. Marshals Service doesn’t provide mug shots to the media.

Patel, who is in the United States illegally, has ties to such places as Florida and Tennessee. Authorities learned that Patel had been refused a U.S. visa at least five times in 2014 and 2016. They believe he first entered the U.S. illegally in July 2016.

Steve Shand of Deltona, Fla., was arrested in January 2022 for knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien had come to, entered, or remained in the United States in violation of law, having transported, and moved or having attempted to transport and move such aliens. His trial is set to start Monday, March 25 in Fergus Falls.

Shand, an American citizen, was arrested shortly after U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued five border crossers Jan. 19, 2022, near Humboldt. One was later hospitalized for cold-related injuries. At the time, the area was experiencing treacherous weather and subzero conditions.

Two other border crossers were in the van with Shand. All of the border crossers were from the state of Gujarat in India.

After searching for additional migrants, Canadian authorities found a deceased family of four from India. Jagdishkumar Patel, 39; Vaishaliben Patel, 37; and their children, Vihangi, 11, and Dharmik, 3, froze to death a few yards north of the U.S.-Canadian border. It’s unknown if they’re related to Harshkumar Patel.

Near where the family was found, the temperature was about -6 degrees with close to 27-mph winds and windchills as low as -34 degrees at 4 a.m. The other migrants were located about four and a half hours later. At that time, the temperature was -10 degrees with 17 mph winds and a wind chill at -34 degrees.

The U.S. Border Patrol found evidence of at least three other instances of suspected human smuggling in the same location where Shand had been arrested. They observed footprints there dating back to Dec. 12, 2021. It appeared the individuals walked across the border and were picked up by a vehicle.

Authorities spoke to the Indian nationals who had been found in Kittson County, including one man who said he paid about $87,000 in U.S. dollars to come to the United States. An organization in India then allegedly arranged for him to enter Canada illegally with a fraudulently obtained Canadian student visa. The man had been carrying a backpack for the deceased family of four since they had to carry their son. The man said the Patel family had become separated from the group in the early morning hours. After crossing the border, the man expected that someone would then transport him to his uncle’s home in Chicago.

Shand allegedly possessed two cell phones. A search warrant was executed, finding that Shand was allegedly communicating with someone listed as “Dirty Harry” on WhatsApp. The individual was later determined to be Harshkumar Patel. The two had been communicating since at least Dec. 9. 2021. Those conversations included arrangements for rental cars, hotels and payment for Shand. They also conversed about where Shand would pick up the Indian nationals. At one point, Shand noted that Patel needed to ensure the Indian nationals were dressed for the weather.

Authorities learned that Patel was allegedly part of an organized human smuggling group. Shand told authorities that Patel recruited him to transport individuals from the U.S.-Canadian border in Minnesota to Chicago. He referred to five such trips, including the last trip, between December 2021 and January 2022. Shand believed he had been paid about $25,000 total in cash for the trips. Bank records substantiated some of the those trips.
Initially, Patel wanted Shand to transport individuals from the U.S.-Canadian border in New York. Shand declined, but he ultimately agreed to transport the individuals from the border in Minnesota.

As part of a related investigation in Blaine Wash., authorities determined Rajinder Singh was involved in the transportation of Indian nationals from the U.S.-Canadian border in Washington to Chicago. He has since been sentenced.

Singh allegedly said Fenilkumar Patel, a resident of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, arranged the trip for the Patel family who later died near the U.S.-Canadian border. It was unclear whether Fenilkumar Patel is related to any of the other Patels. Singh said Indian nationals are usually transported to Chicago, where they work off their debt.

Previously, Homeland Security Investigations in Blaine, Wash., learned those smuggled by the Gujurat smuggling group work at a restaurant chain in Chicago. It has identified the owner, whose name wasn’t listed in the court records.

Jagdishkumar Patel, the deceased father, was allegedly associated with the man who owns the restaurant chain. Gujarat Police found social media evidence and financial transactions linking them.