Three people in custody following human smuggling attempt on St. Clair River

DETROIT, Mich. (WNEM) – United States Customs and Border Protection stopped a human smuggling attempt on the St. Clair River on Tuesday.

About 3 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2, border patrol dispatch saw a vessel on the St. Clair River near Algonac cross the international border which was located near a historically known smuggling route while monitoring the remote video surveillance system, CBP said.

Dispatch notified agents immediately of a potential smuggling incident taking place.

Marysville agents on patrol responded immediately and encountered three people near the area dispatch reported seeing the vessel heading towards the U.S.

The three people were interviewed by an agent and admitted to having just crossed the border from Canada, CBP said.

They were taken into custody and transported to the border patrol station for processing.

One of the suspects was identified as a 53-year-old Dominican man. There were also two women ages 25 and 26 from Mexico, CBP said.

“Intercepting this was made possible by technology and the teamwork of our agents and support personal,” Chief Patrol Agent Robert Danley said. “I am proud of the vigilance and dedication to duty displayed by the men and women of Detroit Sector.

Anyone with information regarding suspicious activity is encouraged to contact Detroit Sector Border Patrol at 800-537-3220.

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