3 charged with smuggling firearms in personal watercraft across St. Clair River into Canada
A smuggling scheme to bring firearms from the United States into Canada via a personal watercraft on the St. Clair River has resulted in a federal grand jury indictment.
The actual smuggling took place in the early morning hours of Oct. 26, 2023, along a narrow section of the St. Clair River that is bordered by a private home near Algonac on the U.S. side and a marina on the Canadian side.
This happens to be a known smuggling area, the indictment said, and the U.S. Border Patrol surveillance crew saw two people cross the river that night on a jet ski.
In the meantime, a Canadian law enforcement officer was in an unmarked vehicle on the Canadian side of the river. That officer saw a person hiding near bushes who was wearing all black clothing and holding a backpack on land. Upon realizing that he had encountered a law enforcement officer, rather than the person he was expecting, he dropped the backpack and ran off.
Canadian law enforcement officers found 36 handguns with magazines inside the bag. Of that number, 26 were Glock handguns.
Upon searching the area, law enforcement officers found the waiting co-conspirator, who was getting social media messages from the man who dropped the backpack and hoped to meet up with him.
The resulting indictment was filed Wednesday against Akeem Richards-Crawford, Dwayne Harrison and Jannai Stewart, with conspiracy to smuggle firearms from the United States and also smuggling firearms and firearm magazines from the United States.
All three are Canadian citizens.
There is also a woman who is not named in the indictment but mentioned in that document as a co-conspirator in the case.
The indictment details a number of steps involved in the scheme and planning, including a hotel stay in Warren, Michigan; at least one flight into Detroit Metro Airport; a rental car picked up in Detroit; border crossings at Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron; an attempt to bring more than $10,000 in cash into the United States; and eventually the final drive to Algonac, Michigan.
