Somali refugee admits he helped to smuggle African migrants into Manitoba for money
A Somali refugee, Abdi Hassan Ali, has admitted to smuggling African migrants into Manitoba for financial gain. The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to violating the Immigration and Refugee Act by organizing, inducing, aiding or abetting people without proper documentation. Ali was caught twice in 2024 while out on bail, months after his first arrest with eight foreign nationals in his vehicle.
The migrants, mostly from Chad, paid thousands of dollars to reach Canada, where Ali picked them up. Provincial Court Judge Rachel Rusen sentenced Ali to four years in prison, a plea bargain considering potential issues at trial. Ali will serve an additional 500 days once he has served his time from the second arrest.
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