New court records reveal harrowing details about a failed human smuggling operation that led to the tragic deaths of two families in the St. Lawrence River in March 2023. The documents show that an organized crime network, under RCMP surveillance, was actively involved in moving migrants across the Canada-U.S. border when the disaster occurred.
The victims, identified as the Chaudhari family from India and the Iordache family from Romania, drowned alongside a boat operator during an attempted border crossing into the U.S.
At the time of their deaths, RCMP’s Integrated Border Enforcement Team had been investigating a human smuggling network allegedly led by Montreal-based suspect Thesingarasan Rasiah and his main driver and bagman, Joel Portillo.
Court documents outline how the Chaudhari family—father Pravinbhai, 49, mother Dakshaben, 45, daughter Vidhiben, 23, and son Mitkumar, 20—landed in Montreal from Winnipeg before being transported by a suspected smuggler’s vehicle to Cornwall, Ontario.
Similarly, Florin and Cristina Iordache and their two Canadian-born children, Evelin, 2, and Elyen, 16 months, had been placed at a Cornwall Super 8 motel before being moved to their fatal journey.
Both families were placed in motels operated by the smuggling network, awaiting their chance to be taken across the St. Lawrence River, which has been a known smuggling route for decades.
On the night of March 29, 2023, they boarded a small boat operated by an unidentified smuggler. Just hours later, their bodies were recovered from the icy waters.
RCMP surveillance teams had been tracking Portillo’s grey Dodge Caravan, which was seen transporting the Chaudhari family to the motel. Similarly, police later matched the Romanian family’s clothing in news images with footage from a surveillance camera at a Cornwall motel parking lot.
Investigators believe that from August 2022 to June 2023, Rasiah’s smuggling ring attempted to move more than 100 people across the border, with at least 45 successfully entering the U.S. or Canada. Police intercepted 31 individuals attempting to cross, and Canadian authorities stopped 25 others before they could enter the U.S.
Financial investigations show that Rasiah’s operation moved $1.4 million through bank accounts controlled by him and his late wife, with an additional $384,000 in cash found at his Montreal residence.
Court filings indicate that Rasiah worked with multiple accomplices across Canada and the U.S., including Akwesasne residents who allegedly facilitated river crossings.
Currently, Rasiah and Portillo remain in Canadian custody, facing multiple charges related to human smuggling. Their next court date is set for February 13, 2025.
Additionally, three Akwesasne residents—Stephanie Square, Janet Terrance, and Dakota Montour—have been charged by U.S. authorities in connection with the tragedy. Montour has pleaded guilty, admitting that he had been waiting on the U.S. side of the river to receive the smuggled families.
Square is currently in custody in Quebec, awaiting extradition to the U.S., where she faces charges for allegedly coordinating the deadly river crossing.
Reports indicate that the Chaudhari family allegedly paid $100,000 to smugglers in a desperate attempt to reach the U.S., while the Iordache family was charged between $10,000 and $15,000.
This case highlights the rising dangers of illegal border crossings, particularly along the St. Lawrence River and Akwesasne territory, where smuggling routes remain active despite increased enforcement.
RCMP and U.S. Homeland Security continue to investigate human smuggling operations, warning that criminal networks are profiting from vulnerable migrants while exposing them to life-threatening dangers.
“The RCMP is committed to being transparent, and Canadians deserve to know the truth surrounding this issue,” the agency said in a statement.
Authorities urge anyone with information on human smuggling activities to report suspicious activity to Crime Stoppers or local law enforcement.