An Indian man has pleaded guilty to illegally smuggling Indians from Canada to the United States.
Shivam, a 22-year-old Indian man, pleaded guilty in the United States to conspiracy in a scheme to smuggle Indians across the US-Canada border. He was indicted in 2025, and now that he has pleaded guilty, he will be sentenced on September 4.
Under US law, Shivam faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. His status in the United States — when he came or whether or not he is illegal — is unknown.According to court documents, Shivam ran the smuggling operations starting from October 2024 until June 2025. He coordinated with drivers to pick Indians from specific points on the border and drop them at safe houses in upstate New York.His role was to coordinate drivers to pick up aliens at the border and transport them into the United States, specifically to hide homes around upstate New York and hotels in Plattsburgh, New York, the court document said.
Shivam was the mastermind, paying $100 for each person trafficked to his co-conspirator.
While Shivam was being paid for his role, he ran the ring in which he paid his drivers for each person they smuggled. On January 25, 2025, Shivam directed a co-conspirator to smuggle 12 aliens from India and the United Kingdom from Canada to the United States.
He paid his co-conspirator $100 for each foreigner smuggled, the court document said.The gang were caught in a chase near the border by border agents when two cars aroused their suspicions. On January 26, 2025, US Border Patrol agents attempted to stop two vehicles traveling side by side near the US-Canadian border. Both vehicles accelerated to avoid the agents, leading to the chase. One vehicle ran off the road and was stopped, while the other was later stopped in Moyers, New York. The vehicles contained a total of 12 illegal aliens.
