As Victor Omoruyi was driving just south of the Canada-U.S. border in North Dakota last Friday evening, his wife was driving not far away on the Canadian side — in southeastern Saskatchewan near the North Portal border crossing. .
.
The Regina pair were stopped by authorities at the two locations and taken into custody that night as part of an investigation into the smuggling of foreign nationals. .
.
Officials had been investigating him since before Christmas for frequent border crossings. U.S. border agents flagged Canadian officials that a smuggling attempt may be in the works. .
.
An hour later, around 9 p.m., Michelle Omoruyi, 43, was pulled over by officers and arrested with nine people from West Africa in her vehicle. The nine people included five adults and four children. .
.
South of her, in North Dakota, U.S. officials were taking her husband and two other people into custody for immigration violations. The arrests were made after a four-month joint investigation in the Saskatchewan region.