An Indian migrant who survived a deadly trek across the Canada-U.S. border in blizzard conditions is expected to testify Tuesday in the federal trial of two men accused of taking part in a sprawling human smuggling scheme that ultimately killed a family of four.
Prosecutors allege Indian national Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, and 50-year-old Steve Shand put financial profit over human life when they attempted to smuggle Indian migrants across the border into Minnesota over a five-week period. They say Patel ran part of the smuggling scheme and recruited 50-year-old Shand as a driver. Both men have pleaded not guilty to four federal counts related to human smuggling.
