Human smuggling investigation leads to jail time for American man caught in Manitoba

The border crossing between Canada and the U.S.A., in Emerson, Man., Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Emerson Port of Entry. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

WINNIPEG — An American citizen has pleaded guilty to human smuggling after border agents found documents belonging to another person in the man’s vehicle as he tried to enter Canada.

The Canada Border Services Agency says in a release 32-year-old Sahil Aziz attempted to enter the country alone last year at the Emerson port of entry in Manitoba.

When officers searched his vehicle they found identification belonging to another person, as well as a suitcase and cellphone that did not belong to Aziz.

The agency says an investigation determined one other person was with Aziz before he attempted to cross the border on his own.

The release did not say if this person was able to cross into Canada.

It says Aziz received a two-year prison sentence for human smuggling and time served for a separate charge for smuggling credit card data contrary to the Customs Act.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2026.