A Calgary man has been charged with human smuggling after seven men from Africa were found in a vehicle during a traffic stop in Manitoba last month. RCMP say at around 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 27, the integrated border enforcement team received information from the United States Border Patrol about a group of people walking north along a rail line towards the Canadian border near Emerson, Man. The border patrol said the people were wearing proper winter clothing and were likely to enter Canada within the hour. RCMP said they went to the area and completed a traffic stop on a vehicle at the intersection of PR 201 and PR 200 near Dominion City, Man. Police say the vehicle was registered to a car rental company. Inside, they found a driver and seven male passengers. The seven men, who ranged in age from 27 to 49, were confirmed to be foreign nationals from the Republic of Chad in Africa. The driver, a 49-year-old man from Calgary, was arrested for human smuggling under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and was taken into custody. He made a court appearance on Jan. 29. The seven men were arrested under the Customs Act and turned over to Canada Border Services Agency. The incident remains under investigation.
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