An Indian man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for smuggling twelve people from Canada into the United States. The U.S. Justice Department has named 22-year-old Shivam Lnu as the alleged mastermind behind the operation, directing the illegal trafficking of Indian nationals across the U.S.-Canada border into Clinton County, New York.
According to court documents, the suspect was involved in coordinating this human trafficking scheme between January and June 2025. The Department of Justice reported that U.S. Border Patrol agents attempted to intercept two vehicles traveling near the border on Jan. 26, 2025, leading to a pursuit when the vehicles refused to stop and tried to evade the agents.
After one vehicle veered off the road and was immobilized, the second vehicle was eventually halted in Mooers, New York. Authorities discovered a total of 12 undocumented immigrants in both vehicles. The DOJ revealed that WhatsApp messages exchanged between one of the drivers and a phone linked to Shivam suggested a pattern of smuggling illegal aliens into the U.S. from Canada.
Shivam Lnu has been charged with one count of conspiracy to transport aliens into the U.S. and four counts of illegally bringing aliens into the country for financial gain. If convicted on all charges, he could face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 15 years. The DOJ initially charged Lnu with conspiracy to transport aliens in June.
