BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced Thursday that two Canadian men were arrested and charged with bringing in or harboring certain aliens.
On Sept. 10, 2022, members of the FBI and Department of Homeland Security received information about a potential human smuggling operation.
Surveillance caught a Canadian vessel leaving a marina in St. Catherines, Ontario with four people on board. The vessel entered the Niagara River and traveled towards Lewiston, where it entered American waters.
The vessel backed up into a private boat dock, and two individuals got off the boat. These two individuals were apprehended by law enforcement and were determined as inadmissible aliens.
The remaining two individuals on the boat were Zijad Saskin and Kevin Marlor, who were both arrested. The two defendants are believed to have been involved in a previous human smuggling operation on July 19, when two other aliens were illegally brought into the United States through the Niagara River.
If found guilty, Marlor and Saskin can both face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
