VZCZCXRO0328
PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0378 1411903
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211903Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9445
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN PRIORITY 0364
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0459
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAORC/US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEADRO/HQ ICE DRO WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000378 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR HSTC, G/TIP, WHA/CAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KCRM KTIP SMIG GY IN CA
SUBJECT: FROM COAST TO COAST - CANADA COMBATING HUMAN 
SMUGGLING 
 
¶1.  (U)  Summary. The recent conviction of a British Columbia 
couple that had smuggled Indian nationals from Canada into 
the United States through the Peace Arch border crossing and 
arrests by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) of four 
people in Ontario and New Brunswick involved in a human 
smuggling ring demonstrate that Canada continues to combat 
human smuggling literally coast to coast.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) On May 15, a U.S. District Court in Seattle sentenced 
a Surrey, British Columbia (BC) couple for conspiracy to 
smuggle people into the United States from Canada through the 
Peace Arch Park, which borders Surrey and Blaine, Washington. 
 Jas Binning, 48, received a six months sentence, while his 
wife, Jagdeep Binning, 32, faces only time served.  The judge 
also imposed a US$5000 fine.  The couple charged citizens of 
India $5000 to drive them from Vancouver International 
Airport to the Peace Arch Park, and then to smuggle them into 
Washington State posing as tourists.  The pair charged other 
foreign nationals, including those from Pakistan, higher 
rates.  The smugglers offered additional services for higher 
fees, including onward transportation to Bellingham, 
Washington and provision of fake Canadian driver's license. 
Court documents show that the couple smuggled two to twelve 
migrants into the U.S. each month.  Undercover RCMP officers 
posing as migrants gathered key evidence submitted to the 
court.  The RCMP worked alongside U.S. Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from ConGen Vancouver as 
well as from Blaine and Seattle to develop the case.  The BC 
Office of Civil Forfeitures is now pursuing civil action 
against the offenders to seize their property (adjacent to 
the Peace Arch crossing), which they had used to facilitate 
their crimes.  According to Canadian law enforcement 
officials, the Civil Forfeiture law -- in place in BC since 
2006 -- holds great promise as a tool against traffickers, by 
allowing the government to pursue action in civil court, with 
its significantly lower threshold of evidence than criminal 
court. 
 
¶3.  (U)  In an unrelated case, the RCMP on May 13 charged 
four individuals with smuggling migrants from Ontario and New 
Brunswick into the United States.  Savita Singh, 43, and 
Vaughn McLuskey, 71, were arrested in New Brunswick, and 
Mohamed Habib-Yusef, 53, and Ravindra Harprasad, 36, in 
Ontario.  The RCMP investigation prevented the illegal 
smuggling of two Guyanese migrants to the U.S.  In a press 
release, RCMP Sgt. Wesley Blair stated that "since organized 
crime groups involved in human smuggling are profit-driven, 
they do not often distinguish between migrants who are 
looking for a better way of life and migrants who are 
dangerous criminals."  According to RCMP contacts, Canadian 
law enforcement officers began their investigation a year ago 
after receiving a tip from the U.S. Border Patrol. 
Investigations into the smuggling operation continue, and 
RCMP officials expect more information will come to light as 
a result. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Comment: The RCMP, Canada Border Services Agency, 
and local and provincial police forces are actively working 
with U.S. law enforcement counterparts to tackle human 
Qwith U.S. law enforcement counterparts to tackle human 
smuggling and human trafficking.  These recent actions 
demonstrate Canada's commitment to targeting smuggling -- 
literally, coast to coast -- and highlight the connections 
between smuggling and other criminal activities. 
 
¶5.  (U)  ConGens Vancouver and Halifax contributed to this 
reporting. 
 
Visit Canada,s North American partnership community at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / 
 
BREESE