Head Of Smuggling Ring Sentenced Over Freezing Of Family On U.S.-Canada Border: 'Unimaginable Death'

The ringleader of a human smuggling ring, Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the case of an Indian family who froze to death while trying to enter the U.S. from Canada.

Prosecutors had recommended Patel get almost 20 years, and nearly 11 for Steve Anthony Shand, the driver who was supposed to pick up the family in the U.S. He ended up getting six and a half years with two of supervised release, NBC News detailed.

U.S. District Judge John Tunheim criticized the defendants in his ruling, saying the death of the family members, including two children, "were clearly avoidable." "The crime in many respects is extraordinary because it did result in the unimaginable death of four individuals, including two children," Tunheim added.

Patel declined to address the court. His lawyer claimed he was a "low man on the totem pole" and maintained his clients' innocence, asking he be sentenced to time served, 18 months. However, acting U.S. Attorney Lisa Kirkpatrick rejected the argument, saying he had exploited the family's hopes of getting a better life in the U.S. out of greed.

Patel is likely to be deported to India after completing his sentence. Shand has to report to prison on July 1.

The case stems from the deaths of Jagdish Patel (no relation to the man on trial), his wife Vaishaliben, and their two children of 11 and 3 years of age. The family, who had traveled from Gujarat, India, to Canada on visitor visas, attempted to cross the border into Minnesota on foot when they were caught in extreme weather, with temperatures plunging to -35°C (-31°F). Their bodies were found just meters from the border.

Prosecutors alleged that Patel and Shand played key roles in a broader smuggling network which reportedly arranged Canadian student visas for migrants from India, transported them to border areas, and facilitated illegal crossings into the U.S. Shand allegedly drove migrants across the border for $25,000 over several trips, while Patel is accused of coordinating logistics, including transportation and accommodations.

On the day the Patel family died, Shand had texted Patel to ensure the migrants were dressed for the blizzard, court documents show. Shand was later arrested near the border in a van with two undocumented Indian nationals. Authorities also detained five others nearby, all from Gujarat. One migrant stated he had paid $87,000 to a smuggling network for assistance with entering Canada and crossing into the U.S.