It was just past 2:00 a.m. on a quiet stretch near Stanstead, Quebec. RCMP officers, acting on a tip, stopped a cube van crossing from the United States.

What they found inside would shock even seasoned law enforcement.

Forty-four foreign nationals, including a pregnant woman and children as young as four, were crammed together in a sweltering, airless cargo space. No seats. No ventilation. No water.

“They had to stand the whole time,” said RCMP spokesperson Charles Poirier. “Just horrific conditions. They were basically left there with no way to breathe properly.”

The Canada Border Services Agency says the stop was part of a coordinated effort with Quebec Provincial Police to intercept a suspected human smuggling operation.

The three men arrested—Okulkan Mercine, 25, Dogen Alakuz, 31, and Fate Yak, 31—are now facing charges under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The charges include inducing, aiding, or abetting someone to commit an offense, as well as assisting people to enter Canada outside of a designated port of entry.

Most of the passengers, authorities say, were Haitian nationals. They told officers they had already endured a two‑hour trek on foot across the border before being loaded into the van.

Dehydrated and visibly distraught, they were relieved to finally be in safe hands. But the trauma was clear.

Despite the harrowing conditions, police confirmed no lives were in immediate danger. Still, the incident underscores growing concerns about cross‑border human smuggling routes—especially those targeting vulnerable migrants desperate for safety.

Poirier called the case a reminder of the risks people face when they trust smugglers:

“These individuals are often treated as cargo, not as human beings. It’s dangerous, it’s illegal, and it can be deadly.”

The investigation is ongoing, with CBSA working to determine whether this incident is tied to a larger smuggling network operating between the U.S. and Canada.

From the quiet back roads of Quebec to the busy corridors of immigration enforcement, one question remains:

How many more trucks like this are out there, slipping through the night?

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