Trial Begins for Human Traffickers in Minnesota

A trial begins in Minnesota for Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel and Steve Shand, accused of running a human smuggling network from India to the U.S. through Canada. The case gained tragic notoriety when the bodies of Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishaliben, and their two children were found frozen near the U.S.-Canada border in January 2022. The family, originally from Gujarat, India, reportedly got separated from a larger group in blizzard conditions. Prosecutors allege Patel orchestrated the operation that offered Canadian student visas to Indians and smuggled them into the U.S. Both Patel and Shand have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include human trafficking and criminal conspiracy. This case highlights the risks faced by migrants and the operations of smuggling networks exploiting their vulnerabilities.