WASHINGTON — A dual Canadian-American citizen, Timothy Oakes, has been detained following a court hearing in the Northern District of New York. U.S. authorities allege that Oakes was part of a deadly human smuggling operation that resulted in the drowning of migrants in the St. Lawrence River.
The 34-year-old Oakes was arrested on June 15 while attempting to enter the United States. Originally from Akwesasne, a region straddling the Canada-U.S. border west of Montreal, he was indicted in April for conspiring to smuggle individuals from Canada into the United States. This indictment includes four counts of alien smuggling for profit and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death.
Court documents indicate that Oakes played a crucial role in the smuggling operation, which led to the tragic deaths of a Romanian family of four, including two young children, in March 2023. The family has been identified as Florin Iordache, his wife Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, their two-year-old daughter Evelin, and their one-year-old son Elyen.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, John A. Sarcone III, commented on the case, stating, "This case shows the terrible perils of illegally crossing the border. Four family members died because a smuggling network put them in harm’s way.”
According to the court documents, Oakes routinely smuggled individuals across the St. Lawrence River by boat, charging approximately $1,000 per person. Oakes reportedly housed the Romanian family for about 24 hours before transporting them via boat to a public launch site, where his brother, Casey Oakes, was operating the vessel. The boat ultimately capsized, leading to the deaths of all four members of the migrant family and his brother.
In addition, a family of four from India was also on the boat and drowned, but their deaths have not been included in the U.S. indictment against Oakes. Last year, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced arrests in connection to the deaths of 50-year-old Praveenbhai Chaudhari, his 45-year-old wife Dakshaben, their 20-year-old son Meet, and their 23-year-old daughter Vidhi.
The geographical location of Akwesasne, which lies across the international border, has been noted as a popular area for smugglers dealing in both human and contraband trafficking. The U.S. Justice Department stated that those involved in the operation were aware of the dangerous conditions in the St. Lawrence River on the day of the drownings.
Three defendants based in the United States—Dakota Montour, 31; Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43; and Janet Terrance, 45—previously entered guilty pleas related to the tragedy. According to the news release, Montour acknowledged that he was aware of the perilous weather conditions, including high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility, yet the family was still loaded into the small boat.
Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, emphasized the cold-hearted nature of the smuggling operation, stating, “As alleged, Oakes and his co-conspirators profited from a human smuggling operation with a singular, cold-hearted aim: making money by bringing illegal aliens into the United States, regardless of the danger to human life involved. Their greed resulted in the deaths of a mother, a father, and two small children, as well as one of the defendants’ own brothers.”
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on July 1, 2025.
