GRAND FORKS — A Florida man charged in a deadly Canada-U.S. border smuggling case pleaded not guilty in federal court on Friday, May 26.
Steve Shand, 48, is accused of illegally bringing Indian migrants to the United States on a freezing night in January 2022.
Border Patrol agents arrested Shand as he was driving between the Pembina, North Dakota, and Lancaster, Minnesota ports of entry.
Court documents say there were two undocumented migrants inside his van at the time.
After his arrest, officers found the bodies of the Patel family, just 30 feet north of the Canadian border in Manitoba.
The family of four died from exposure, including their 11- and 3-year-old children.
Authorities also found five other people walking in unsafe conditions along the same road Shand was arrested on.
He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
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