Ontario Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Transporting Two People into the US

An Ontario man pleaded guilty to transporting two people into the United States about four years ago. The man is set to be sentenced on May 19 which could lead to a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of US$250,000. He is said to have dropped the two people in the US and then returned to Ontario.

Edwin Ramirez-Cordones, 46, transported two people who were not citizens or nationals of the US into the country in May of 2019. He used a boat and crossed the Niagara River into Lewiston, NY, and was well aware that it was not a designated port of entry. According to a Buffalo court, he returned to Ontario and was to be paid $8,500 USD.

Edwin has now pleaded guilty after an investigation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He was charged with “bringing an alien to the United States at a place other than a designated port of entry.” As per officials, this charge entails a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of US$250,000. His sentence will be announced on May 19.

The Niagara River measures less than 500 meters wide in some places. It connects Canada and the US on either end from Niagara-on-the-Lake in the North to Fort Erie in the South.

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