### Two Men Convicted in Tragic Human Smuggling Operation

In a harrowing case of human smuggling gone wrong, a jury found Harshkumar Patel and Steve Shand guilty on several counts related to their roles in transporting migrants across the U.S.-Canada border. The verdict pertains to an incident on January 19, 2022, where a family of four Indian migrants, Jagdish Patel, 39; his wife Vaishaliben, 37; their daughter Vihangi, 11; and their son Dharmik, 3, perished in a blizzard after attempting to cross from Manitoba into Minnesota.

Prosecutors successfully argued that the defendants placed their financial interests above human lives by orchestrating this illicit operation. Patel, allegedly the mastermind, was said to have paid Shand to drive to northern Minnesota and pick up a group of 11 migrants from India. On that fateful night, temperatures plummeted to below minus 33 degrees, leading to the tragic deaths of the Patel family. Shand was apprehended later that morning near the border with two migrants in his van, while five more were found trudging through the snow, one suffering from severe frostbite.

Patel, who coordinated the operation from Florida, purportedly arranged for Shand to transport the migrants to Chicago after they crossed the border illegally. However, Patel's lawyer contested the allegations, claiming that authorities had mistaken Patel's identity and that he was not the individual communicating with Shand. Meanwhile, Shand's defense depicted him as an unsuspecting cab driver manipulated into the scheme.

A key witness in the trial, convicted smuggler Rajinder Pal Singh, pointed fingers at another player in the network named Fenil Patel, who resides in Toronto and has been charged by Indian police. Singh implicated Fenil Patel in organizing the migrants' Canadian visas and orchestrating their dangerous crossing into the United States.

During the trial, an unexpected issue arose involving Border Patrol Agent Daniel Huguley, who previously faced a 14-day suspension in 2019 for inappropriate conduct. This late revelation led Shand's attorney to request a mistrial, which Judge John R. Tunheim denied. In his instructions, Judge Tunheim informed the jury about Huguley's record, stating it could be considered when evaluating his testimony's credibility.

The convictions of Patel and Shand highlight the perils faced by migrants and the ruthless measures taken by smugglers who value profit over human life.