Human smuggler jailed 10 years after family of 4 freeze to death

More than three years after a tragic incident where a family of four from India froze to death, a Minnesota court on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, sentenced the leader of the international human smuggling operation responsible.

Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, described by prosecutors as the ringleader, received a 10-year prison sentence on Wednesday, The Guardian reports.

Prosecutors had sought nearly 20 years for Patel, highlighting the severity of the consequences tied to his actions.

Alongside Patel, Steve Anthony Shand, the driver assigned to pick up the migrants, was sentenced to 6½ years in prison, with an additional two years of supervised release.

Prosecutors had recommended nearly 11 years for Shand.

U.S. District Judge John Tunheim emphasized the extraordinary nature of the crime, particularly its deadly outcome.

“These were deaths that were clearly avoidable,” the judge said, referencing the loss of two adults and two young children.

Despite maintaining his innocence, Patel offered no statement during sentencing and showed no emotion as he was led from the courtroom in handcuffs.

His attorney, Thomas Leinenweber, argued that Patel was merely a small player in a larger operation and requested that he receive credit for the 18 months he had already served.

However, Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Lisa Kirkpatrick argued that Patel’s actions were driven by greed and that he exploited migrants desperate for a better life.

Shand, who had remained free while awaiting sentencing, also showed no reaction when his sentence was read.

Judge Tunheim ordered him to report to prison by July 1.

The judge also said he would recommend Shand serve time at the Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola, Florida, close to his family.

The sentencing took place in Fergus Falls, a northwestern Minnesota city where both Patel and Shand were tried and convicted in November on four counts each related to human smuggling.

The Gujarat family of 4 that froze to death on US. border

According to prosecutors, the smuggling scheme was well-organized.

It also involved transporting Indian nationals to Canada on student visas, then covertly guiding them across the U.S. border.

Patel, reportedly using the alias “Dirty Harry,” was said to have played a central role in the operation.

Shand, a U.S. citizen, was involved in transporting the migrants once they crossed into the United States.

The victims, Jagdish Patel (39), his wife Vaishaliben (mid-30s), their 11-year-old daughter Vihangi, and 3-year-old son Dharmik, all died from exposure.

Their bodies were discovered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on January 19, 2022, just north of the U.S. border in Manitoba.

The family, originally from Dingucha, a village in Gujarat, India, had joined many others from their community who pursued migration, both legal and illegal, in search of better opportunities.

While the Patels shared a last name with the defendant, they were not related.

Details from the court highlighted the harsh conditions the family endured.

Prosecutor Michael McBride wrote that the father died shielding his son from the freezing wind with a glove frozen solid.

Also, the mother collapsed against a fence she may have believed offered safety.

Vihangi wore boots and gloves that didn’t fit properly.

The wind chill at the time was a deadly -36°F (-38°C).

Eleven migrants attempted the crossing that night.

Seven survived the trek, but only two reached Shand’s van, which had become stuck in snow on the U.S. side.

One woman was hospitalized with severe frostbite and hypothermia.

Another survivor, unfamiliar with snow, testified he had never seen it before arriving in Canada.

After the sentencing, Kirkpatrick criticized the defendants for knowingly sending underdressed, unprepared migrants into life-threatening weather.

“They didn’t care,” she said.

“What they cared about was money.”

She emphasized that the victims had spent hours walking in the blizzard to reach Shand, sent by Patel.

Patel’s attorney said his client plans to appeal, though he did not specify the basis.

“He’s not happy with it, but he does wish to take advantage of his rights,” Leinenweber said.

Shand’s attorney, Aaron Morrison, did not speak to reporters but had previously argued that Shand had a limited role and was essentially a desperate taxi driver trying to support his wife and six children.

He claimed Shand was not a planner or beneficiary of the smuggling profits.

Michael Hanson said human smuggling in the region has remained consistent, with no major spikes.

Hamson is the acting chief patrol agent for the Grand Forks sector of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

He expressed hope that the sentencing would serve as a deterrent, particularly during dangerous winter months.

“There very well could have been 11 deaths,” Hanson warned.

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