Shivam, a 22-year-old Indian man, pleaded guilty in the US to conspiracy in a scheme to smuggle Indians across the US-Canada border. He was convicted in 2025 and will now be sentenced on September 4 after pleading guilty. According to US law, Shivam faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 15 years in prison. His status in the US – when he arrived or whether he is illegal or not – is not known.According to court documents, Shivam directed smuggling operations from October 2024 to June 2025. He coordinated with drivers to pick up Indians from specified locations on the border and drop them at safe houses in northern New York.The court document states that his role was to coordinate drivers to pick up aliens at the border and transport them further into the United States, specifically to hide in homes around Northern New York and hotels in Plattsburgh, New York.
Shivam was the mastermind, he paid his co-conspirators $100 per head for the smuggling
While Shivam was paid for his role, he ran a ring in which he paid 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 to the United States. Court documents say he paid his co-conspirator $100 for each alien he smuggled.The gang was busted by border agents following a chase near the border when two cars became suspicious. On January 26, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents attempted to stop two vehicles traveling together near the U.S.–Canada border. Both vehicles sped up to avoid the agents, leading to a pursuit. One vehicle left the road and became immobile, while the other was later stopped in Moores, New York. There were a total of 12 illegal foreigners in the vehicles.