Human Smugglers Want New Trial

The attorneys for the two men convicted in a deadly human smuggling case along the US/Canada border are filing for new trials and/or acquittal.  Harshkumar Patel and Steve Shand were found guilty in November of human smuggling, including conspiracy to bring migrants into the country illegally and experiencing commercial or financial gain. The case is tied to a family of four from India who were found frozen to death near Emerson, Manitoba in 2022, after spending hours wandering in blizzard conditions with wind chills reaching 36 below.  In the court documents, Patel’s attorney says that his client didn’t get a fair trial because the other defendant repeatedly blamed Patel for everything that happened.  Shand’s attorney argues that the government had evidence that would have helped Shand’s case, but they did not disclose it in time.

Immediately following the trial, Andy Lugar, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, said “When a jury deliberates for two hours or less, it’s an indication that the evidence was overwhelming, it’s quite clear that’s obviously what happened here.”

For now, Patel and Shand are scheduled to be sentenced March 31, 2025.

(Valley News Live)