4 arrested on Cornwall Island in alleged human smuggling attempt

A Cornwall man wasarrested for allegedly trying to smuggle three foreign nationals from New York State to Cornwall, Ont., in mid-February,according to the Canada Border Services Agency.

The three foreign nationals were also arrested on Cornwall Island, which is situated on the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence River between New York State and Ontario, for entering the country without passing through a border crossing. TheCBSA did not disclose their nationalities.

• 2 men drown in Ontario in alleged human smuggling attempt

Canadian officials had been surveilling the group after a tip from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency that three foreign nationals were "acting in a suspicious manner" in Massena, N.Y., on Feb. 11, theCBSA said.

TheAkwesasne Mohawk Police Service, which polices Cornwall Island, made the arrests. The foreign nationals remain in custody in Canada. The Cornwall man was released on a promise to appear in court on March 15.

In September 2015, two men from India drowned and a third was rescued from the St. Lawrence River in Akwesasne Mohawk territory near Cornwall Island, in what police described as a human smuggling attempt.