Midwest
Human smugglers convicted after Indian family freezes to death trying to illegally cross northern border
A pair of human smugglers were convicted this week in Minnesota, following the deaths of an Indian family, including two children, who froze during a blizzard in 2022 while attempting to illegally cross into the U.S. from Canada.
The jury in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, found Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, and Steve Shand, 50, guilty on four counts, including conspiracy to bring migrants into the country illegally.
Patel is an Indian national and Shand is a U.S. citizen from Florida.
“This trial exposed the unthinkable cruelty of human smuggling and of those criminal organizations that value profit and greed over humanity,” Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said in a statement. “To earn a few thousand dollars, these traffickers put men, women and children in extraordinary peril leading to the horrific and tragic deaths of an entire family. Because of this unimaginable greed, a father, a mother and two children froze to death in sub-zero temperatures on the Minnesota-Canadian border.”
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The jury in Fergus Falls, Minn., found Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, and Steve Shand, 50, guilty on four counts, including conspiracy to bring migrants into the country illegally. (AP Photo)
Jagdish Patel, his wife, Vaishaliben, who were both in their 30s, and their children: daughter Vihangi, 11, and son Dharmik, 3, all froze to death in January 2022 while attempting to illegally cross into Minnesota via an operation coordinated by Harshkumar Patel and Shand. The family was not related to Harshkumar Patel.
“It’s pretty brutal,” juror Kevin Paul told reporters after the trial of the weather conditions where the family was trying to cross. “I couldn’t imagine having to do what they had to do out there in the middle of nowhere.”
The family was among 11 migrants in the same group who made the treacherous crossing to Minnesota that January. After only seven made it across, the family was found dead the next day by Canadian authorities.
“Human smuggling is a vile crime that preys on the most vulnerable, exploiting their desperation and dreams for a better life,” Jamie Holt, a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations, said. “The suffering endured by this family is unimaginable and it is our duty to ensure that such atrocities are met with the full force of the law.”
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Road signage is posted just outside of Emerson, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
Prosecutors said Patel, who was also known as “Dirty Harry,” organized the scheme and Patel was the driver. Both men were involved in an international smuggling ring that help Indians illegally cross the border.
Another human smuggler, who was part of the ring, testified during the trial that he had made more than $400,000 smuggling more than 500 Indian migrants across the U.S. border and that the migrants usually work low-wage jobs in the U.S. to pay off their debts to the smugglers, which can be as much as $100,000.
Items found in a migrant child’s backpack. (U.S. Attorney’s Office via AP)
The pair could face up to 20 years in prison, depending on the prosecutors’ recommendation.
Shand’s defense team had claimed that he was an unwitting participant in the scheme, while Patel’s attorneys argued that the charges against him were a case of mistaken identity.
More than 14,000 Indian migrants were arrested at the Canadian border while attempting to cross into the U.S. illegally, in the year that ended on Sept. 30.
It accounted for 60% of arrests along the border and has increased 10-fold in the last two years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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A Minnesota police sergeant and father of two died less than 24 hours after doctors diagnosed him with a brain infection, leaving behind a young family and a stunned community.
Sgt. Cody Siebert, a K-9 officer with the East Range Police Department, died Feb. 27, the department announced. He was remembered as a devoted father, loyal colleague and a fixture in the small northern Minnesota community he served.
Siebert helped launch the K-9 program in Babbitt, Minnesota, alongside his police dog, Taconite, before later joining the East Range Police Department.
“Sgt. Siebert was well known for his happy-go lucky personality,” the department wrote in a Facebook tribute. “It was best said that if you couldn’t get along with Cody, it was your fault.”
Sgt. Cody Siebert is remembered by colleagues and community members as a dedicated officer and devoted father who left a lasting impact on northern Minnesota. (East Range Police Department)
“The hole left by Sgt. Siebert’s passing will be impossible to fill,” the department added.
A GoFundMe page launched by Siebert’s family has raised more than $107,000 as of Tuesday evening. He is survived by his life partner, Karen Blais, and their two sons, ages 1 and 2.
“To know Cody was to have a friend. He had a rare gift for connection — if you crossed paths with him, you knew you were in for a genuine conversation. He truly enjoyed people, and his absence leaves a void in our community that will be felt by many,” his family wrote on the fundraising page.
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Sgt. Cody Siebert, a K-9 officer with the East Range Police Department in Minnesota, died Feb. 27 less than 24 hours after being diagnosed with a brain infection. (East Range Police Department)
Blais told The Minnesota Star Tribune that Siebert woke up last week suffering from a headache that had begun the day before. He was hospitalized, and doctors determined that an infection in his nasal passage had spread to his brain, according to the newspaper.
“He loved people — being in that position and being able to help people in general,” his brother, Brandon Siebert, told the outlet. “Not just getting the bad guys, going to the school, checking in with people.”
The tragedy comes just months after another loss in the extended family. According to the Star Tribune, Siebert’s sister-in-law, Alyssa Siebert, died last October from a brain aneurysm.
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Sgt. Cody Siebert poses with his K-9 partner, Taconite, and Chief Tim Soular. (East Range Police Department)
“We’re in a déjà vu of an unusual situation,” said his other sister-in-law, Ashley Siebert. “They both helped others the whole time. They were both great people. They’ve done more than most 30-year-olds have accomplished in their lives.”
Like his sister-in-law, Siebert donated his organs, the newspaper reported.
The East Range Police Department in Minnesota announced the unexpected death of Sgt. Cody Siebert on Feb. 27. (East Range Police Department )
Mesabi East Schools also paid tribute, remembering Siebert as someone who saw the potential in every student.
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“The impact he had on our students and staff cannot be measured. He wasn’t just our K9 officer, he was a mentor, a role model, a friend, and a steady, positive presence in our Giants community,” the school district wrote.
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A new mixed-use, mixed-income apartment building proposed for Detroit’s Brush Park is expected to bring 37 units of housing to the neighborhood, according to the project’s lead developer.
The $12 million project at 205 Watson St., known as Wallace Estates, is owned by Detroit rapper Tee Grizzley, whose legal name is Terry Wallace. The 30,000-square-foot development is expected to go before the Detroit Historic District Commission on Wednesday for review. Because the quarter-acre site sits within a historic district, the commission must approve elements such as windows, brickwork, facade materials and other architectural features.
Wallace Estates is planned to be a five-story building with the residential units across the first four floors. The ground floor is expected to include a lobby, a walk-up apartment, commercial space and tuck-under parking. A partial fifth floor will house indoor and outdoor amenities for residents. The building is designed with a masonry facade and large, offset windows, according to the project application.
“Detroit raised me — I’m a west side kid, and I’m passionate about bringing mixed-income housing to my city,” Wallace said in a statement Thursday. “The 205 Watson project is about building safe, quality housing for everybody; that respects longtime residents and welcomes new neighbors — building opportunity without pushing people out.”
The project was the winning bid of a City of Detroit request for proposals for the site, said Nevan Shokar, principal of Shokar Group and the day-to-day development lead. McIntosh Poris Architects is the designer.
“It’s an infill site that’s bringing high-quality housing, both for affordable and market-rate renters,” Shokar said. “And I think it complements the neighborhood nicely with the brick aesthetic, as well as the brass inlays in the windows.”
Construction could begin this summer and be finished in 18 months, Shokar said, placing completion at late 2027.
Wallace Estates will join a wave of new residential development in Brush Park, a neighborhood that has seen nearly a decade of revitalization. Last summer, Bedrock celebrated the completion of City Modern, a nearly 10-year effort to transform a once-neglected area of the historic district.
Shokar said the building would primarily include studios and one-bedroom units, with a few two-bedroom apartments. About 20% of the units will be designated affordable at 80% of area median income, with the remainder rented at market rates.
“The highest demand that you have within this neighborhood and across the city as a whole, is to produce more studio and one-bedroom units,” Shokar said. “The two-bedroom units sometimes and larger sometimes have a hard time filling up, leasing up within buildings, and that’s why you typically see units generally smaller in size.”
Shokar said estimated rents for the new building could range from $1,800 per month for a 450-square-foot studio to $2,700 per month for an 800-square-foot two-bedroom unit.
Shokar said the team will pursue incentives including a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone tax abatement and a housing tax increment financing package.
cwilliams@detroitnews.com
Illegal dumping plagues closed Pick ‘n Save
Neighbors say since a Milwaukee Pick ‘n Save at 35th and North closed in 2025, the parking lot has been filling up, but not with cars or people. It has been attracting illegal dumpers.
MILWAUKEE – Neighbors say since the Milwaukee Pick ‘n Save at 35th and North closed in 2025, the parking lot has been filling up, but not with cars or people. It has been attracting illegal dumpers.
Trash piling up
What we know:
There are old mattresses and furniture in the parking lot. There are piles of garbage at the entrance of the old grocery store. Behind the building, there are tires, more mattresses and more trash.
Illegal dumping at former grocery store near 35th and North, Milwaukee
The Pick ‘n Save stores closed in July 2025. Since then, the building has sat empty.
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FOX6 News was contacted by a man who manages senior and family housing in the area. He said in the last couple of months, he has noticed the stile turn into a place for illegal dumping. The man said he was so fed up, he called the office of Milwaukee Alderman Russell Stamper about the problem. The man said the whole site is an eyesore, and something needs to change.
Illegal dumping at former grocery store near 35th and North, Milwaukee
Change sought
What they’re saying:
“As the snow melts, it’s full of garbage. People are dumping furniture on it, tires,” said Jeffrey Sessions, who manages nearby property. “If you drive around it, it’s garbage everywhere. It’s unsightly for the neighborhood, and it’s probably going to create rats and mice problems.”
FOX6 News reached out to the Department of Neighborhood Services. Officials said the dumping has not been reported. They said the department’s commercial team will now be made aware of the issue.
Illegal dumping at former grocery store near 35th and North, Milwaukee
“It makes the whole neighborhood look like garbage, like nobody’s taking care of anything around here,” Sessions said. “It’s a detriment, it’s unsightly, and it needs to be addressed.”
Illegal dumpers could face fines
Dig deeper:
If the dumpers are caught on camera, they could face fines.
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The owner of the property may also be ordered to clean it up.
Illegal dumping at former grocery store near 35th and North, Milwaukee
The Source: Information in this post was provided by a person who owns property near the former grocery store, as well as Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services.
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