International Smuggling Ring Trial Begins in Minnesota After Tragic Border Deaths

Two men, Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel and Steve Shand, are facing charges linked to a human smuggling scheme that resulted in the deaths of an Indian family in January 2022.

According to prosecutors, Patel recruited Shand at a casino near their residences in Deltona, Florida, just north of Orlando.

Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishaliben, their 11-year-old daughter Vihangi, and their 3-year-old son Dharmik died after enduring hours in blizzard conditions with a wind chill of minus 36 Fahrenheit (minus 38 Celsius). 

Canadian authorities discovered their frozen bodies on January 19, 2022. Jagdish was found holding Dharmik, who was wrapped in a blanket.

Prosecutors contend that Patel and Shand were part of a network that found clients in India, secured them Canadian student visas, arranged their transportation, and smuggled them into the US, primarily through Washington state or Minnesota.

The US Border Patrol reported over 14,000 Indian arrests at the Canadian border in the year ending September 30. By 2022, the Pew Research Center estimated more than 725,000 Indians were living illegally in the U.S., surpassed only by Mexicans and Salvadorans.

Court documents reveal that Patel was in the US illegally after being denied a visa at least five times. Over five weeks, court records show that Patel and Shand frequently discussed the harsh cold while smuggling five groups of Indians across a quiet border section. One night in December 2021, Shand messaged Patel about the extreme cold while waiting for a group, asking, “They going to be alive when they get here?”

During the final trip in January, Shand messaged Patel, urging, “Make sure everyone is dressed for the blizzard conditions, please,” according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors allege that Shand admitted Patel paid him about $25,000 for the five trips.

Jagdish Patel, who grew up in Dingucha, lived with his family and parents. The couple were schoolteachers, according to local reports. Minneapolis-based immigration attorney Satveer Chaudhary, who has assisted migrants exploited by motel owners, many of them Gujaratis, commented on the case. He said smugglers and unscrupulous businesses often lure migrants with false promises of the American dream, leading them to take dangerous risks.

Frances Ibiefo

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