CBSA charged two men after 11 foreign nationals were found in a truck at the Ambassador Bridge

October 3, 2017                                                            Windsor                                                                  Canada Border Services Agency

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced today that two commercial truck drivers were charged, under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), after 11 foreign nationals were found inside their truck.

On September 21, 2017, a driver and co-driver, both residents of Quebec, were returning to Canada at the Ambassador Bridge with a load of produce when they were referred to secondary to verify their declaration. The men were away for one week and had nothing to declare other than the commercial shipment. During the examination of the truck, border services officers discovered 11 foreign nationals hiding behind a curtain in the sleeper area of the truck. The foreign nationals were subsequently refused entry to Canada and returned to the United States. 

The drivers, Paul Ngoue-Ngameleu, 42, and Henadez Makia Mbeh, 50, were charged by the CBSA under IRPA with 23 charges each including:

• 11 counts of counselling;

• 11 counts of misrepresentation and withholding material facts; and

• One count of impeding an officer.

Ngoue-Ngameleu and Makia Mbeh were both released on bail and are scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Windsor on October 23, 2017.