Police say exhaustive efforts are being made to search for man linked to dead immigrant
Authorities say the location of the area makes it a popular spot for people smugglers
Akwesasne Mohawk police said they were suspending an organized search of local waterways for a man linked to eight migrants whose bodies were recovered from the St. Lawrence River last week.
Police said they believed they had exhausted their water search efforts for Casey Oakes, 30, and would resume normal patrol operations unless they received “actionable intelligence”.
Oakes was last seen on the night of March 29, piloting a boat in which the bodies of two immigrant families, one from Romania and the other from India, were found.
Police said the families were trying to enter the United States through the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, which straddles provincial and international borders and includes areas in Quebec, Ontario and New York state.
The geography of the area makes it a popular spot for people smugglers, authorities said, with police completing 48 stops since January involving 80 people trying to enter the United States illegally.
Akwesasne Mohawk police said they would continue to work hard to locate Oakes as part of their daily operations and asked the public to remain vigilant.
border agency immigration to Quebec
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