This bizarre story out of Grand Island, New York states that Border Patrol Agents took a man into custody Wednesday morning at Beaver Island State Park for smuggling two aliens into the United States from Canada. This is especially unusual due to the time of year. The water and air are frigid and the suspect is accepting money to smuggle a couple of people into the U.S. from Canada.
Wanderson Dos Santos Freitas of Brazil was arrested after his jet ski broke down on the Niagara River.
Border Patrol officers were blown away when they saw Dos Santos Freitas on a jet ski driving across the Niagara River with two passengers. They got stuck in the middle of the river when the jet ski malfunctioned stranding them on a block of ice.
Two of the people were able to walk across the ice to land. However, the Grand Island Fire Department had to rescue the third person with the use of ropes and a small inflatable raft.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Dos Santos Freitas with bringing aliens to the United States for money.
“The aliens on the jet ski had paid the defendant six thousand dollars or agreed to pay him six thousand dollars to bring them into the US,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlie Kruly.
The two passengers were put in extreme danger by the man at the helm of the PWC. Neither person were wearing life jackets and the woman on the back didn’t even know how to swim. The water temps were 32 degrees Fahrenheit. After paramedics evaluated the three people, Buffalo Border Patrol took them into custody.
Dos Santos Freitas faces up to 10 years in prison and the other two remain in detention.
Air support was provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air, and Marine Operations.
Jeffrey Wilson of the Buffalo Border Patrol Station praised his men by saying, “I commend our agents for apprehending this smuggling attempt.”
