Yes, I did it: 22-year-old Indian pleads guilty to smuggling people across US-Canada border; $100 per head

22-year-old Shivam, an Indian man, pleaded guilty in the US for conspiring in a scheme to smuggle Indians across the US-Canada border. He was indicted in 2025 and now after he pleaded guilty, he would be sentenced on September 4.

Going by the US law, Shivam is facing a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. His status in the US -- when he came or whether he is an illegal or not -- is not known.According to court documents, Shivam directed smuggling operations beginning in October 2024 through June 2025. He used to coordinate with the drivers to pick the Indians from designated spots at the border and to drop them at safe houses in northern New York.His role was to coordinate drivers to pick up aliens from the border and transport them further into the United States, specifically to stash houses around Northern New York and to hotels in Plattsburgh, New York, the court document said.

Shivam was the mastermind, paid $100 per person smuggled to his co-conspirator

While Shivam was paid for his role, he ran the ring in which he used to pay his drivers for each person they smuggled. On January 25, 2025, Shivam directed a co-conspirator to smuggle 12 aliens from India and the United Kingdom from Canada into the United States.

He paid his co-conspirator $100 per alien smuggled, the court document said.The ring was busted in a chase near the border by the border agents when two cars raised their suspicion. On January 26, 2025, US Border Patrol agents attempted to stop two vehicles traveling in tandem near the US-Canada border. Both vehicles accelerated to avoid agents, triggering a pursuit. One vehicle went off the road and became immobilized, while the other was later stopped in Mooers, New York. The vehicles contained a total of 12 illegal aliens.