OTTAWA, April 13: Police have shut down a human smuggling operation that moved dozens of people from South Asia to Canada and across the border into the United States, the lead Canadian investigator said on Thursday.

More than 60 people, aged six to almost 70 years old, men and women, from Pakistan and India had paid a crime syndicate up to 40,000 dollars to reach US shores in search of a better life or to reunite with family, Inspector Dan Malo of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.

Twelve men were arrested and charged on Wednesday in both countries. Two more are believed to be on the run in Canada, he said.

“The organised network was not interested in knowing who they smuggled. In most cases, they did not know, so that’s a national security concern,” Malo said.

“However, there are no links between the people moved and any known terrorist groups. They were simply trying to reunite with family or communities,” he said.

Most were not wealthy and sold all of their belongings or incurred massive debts to pay for the trip, Malo added.—AFP