A joint investigation has led to seven people being detained and processed under Canadian immigration laws.
On July 16, the OPP reports an officer from the North Bay Detachment was conducting radar patrol on Highway 11 in Powassan when the officer stopped a vehicle for stunt driving.
The driver of the vehicle was unable to provide a valid driver’s licence, which led officers to initiate an investigation.
As a result of the investigation, officers arrested three of the five vehicle occupants under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). The 26-year-old driver, from Mexico, living in North Bay; a 28-year-old from Mexico, residing in Toronto; and a 19-year-old from Chile, who had also been residing in Toronto, were found to be in Canada illegally. The driver was charged with stunt driving.
Canada Border Services attended the North Bay OPP Detachment and initiated an independent investigation.
Continuing the investigation, North Bay OPP and North Bay Police Service assisted Canada Border Services and attended a residence in North Bay. Four people, all residents of Mexico, were living in North Bay and were arrested under the IRPA for being in Canada without status.
