Winnipeg man sentenced to 4 years for migrant smuggling

Abdi Hassan Ali, a 33-year-old Somali refugee, has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to violating the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Ali admitted to operating a commercial smuggling ring that transported African migrants across the Canada-U.S. border for profit.

Federal Crown prosecutor Colin Gray detailed two independent transport operations conducted in 2024. In these instances, migrants from countries such as the Republic of Chad traveled from their homes into the United States and then walked through extreme winter conditions into Minnesota before being picked up by Ali to be taken into Manitoba.

Ali was intercepted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on two separate occasions: once in February 2024 and again in December 2024 while out on bail. During the second interception, officers discovered $2,300 in American cash and six migrants in his vehicle. Judge Rachel Rusen accepted a joint sentencing recommendation from the Crown and defense counsel. After receiving credit for time already served, Ali will serve an additional 500 days in prison.