Alleged smugglers arrested at Quebec-U.S. border to have bail hearing next week

SHERBROOKE — Three men charged with human smuggling after 44 migrants were found crammed inside a cube van in southern Quebec will return to court next week for a bail hearing.

Lawyers for Ogulcan Mersin, Dogan Alakus and Firat Yuksek appeared before a Quebec court judge in Sherbrooke, Que.

The three men face charges including aiding or abetting someone to commit an offence under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and the accused are scheduled to return to court Sept. 4.

They were arrested about 2:20 a.m. on Aug. 3 near Stanstead, Que., after police intercepted a cube truck by the U.S. border.

Police say Canadian authorities received a tip from their U.S. counterparts about a group of migrants planning to cross the border.

The 44 migrants were mostly Haitian, and included a pregnant woman and children as young as four.

Police described the conditions in the truck as horrific, but said the migrants were not seriously hurt.

A fourth suspect, Tolga Yilmaz, was arrested at Montreal Trudeau International Airport allegedly trying to flee. Yilmaz faces the same charges as the other three suspects, and his case is scheduled to return to court next week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2025.