CALGARY — The RCMP says two people were arrested Thursday morning in Montreal as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged human-smuggling operation believed to have facilitated illegal border crossings between Canada and the United States.Officers with the Champlain Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET) executed a search warrant at a residence in Montreal's Montréal-Nord borough, where investigators believe migrants were temporarily housed after entering Canada illegally or concealed while awaiting transport into the United States.According to the Canadian Press, police arrested one alleged smuggler and one migrant during the operation.The RCMP said the residence was suspected of serving as a staging location for migrants who had recently crossed the border unlawfully, or as a hiding place before they were smuggled across the Canada-US border.Const. Marie-Pierre Guertin, an RCMP spokesperson, told CTV News the Montreal-Nord investigation is linked to a June 2 incident in which an alleged human smuggler rammed a police vehicle during an enforcement operation near the Quebec-US border.In that case, RCMP officers received information from the U.S. Border Patrol regarding suspected illegal border crossings in the Noyan area of Quebec's Montérégie region."The driver allegedly failed to stop and deliberately rammed the door of the police vehicle, injuring the officer in the process. The driver then fled the scene," the RCMP said at the time..JEWISH SCHOOL SHOOTINGS: Police charge Montreal suspect, Toronto assailant still at large .Police subsequently charged 25-year-old Chetan Kumar with assaulting a peace officer, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop after an accident. Five migrants were also arrested and turned over to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)."We believe that there is a link between those events on June 2 and this alleged human smugglers network," Guertin said.Guertin said human-smuggling operations have become increasingly sophisticated since the closure of the unofficial Roxham Road crossing in Quebec. Investigators say smugglers are now using smartphone applications such as WhatsApp and Snapchat to coordinate border crossings with migrants.The RCMP said Thursday's search warrant has concluded, but the investigation remains ongoing.The migrant arrested at the Montreal-Nord residence has been turned over to the CBSA.The alleged smuggler arrested during the operation has not been charged.Police said he was released from custody on a promise to appear in court at a later date and must comply with a number of conditions.Authorities have not indicated whether additional arrests are expected as the investigation continues.
