Windsor man accused of smuggling people into U.S.

A man accused of smuggling foreigners from Canada into the U.S. through an underground railway tunnel has been arrested and faces multiple charges, American officials said.

Juan Antonio Garcia-Jimenez, 53, who lives in Windsor, was allegedly paid thousands of dollars to help at least five people use the tunnel running between Windsor and Detroit, Mich., the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

“Smuggling individuals through the train tunnel is one of the most dangerous methods I have seen in my career,” Detroit Sector Chief Patrol Agent Douglas Harrison said in a statement. “

Garcia-Jimenez — originally from Guatemala — was arrested by American border patrol agents Wednesday and faces multiple charges related to smuggling aliens.

In an criminal complaint filed in a Michigan court, U.S. Border Patrol agent Michael Goloweyco said an investigation into Garcia-Jimenez began on March 19 based on information from

RCMP and U.S. Border Patrol.

On that day, Detroit border patrol agents apprehended a Mexican man who had walked through the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel from Windsor, the complaint said.

The man had been working in Canada legally and told authorities someone named “Antonio” had told him he could help with an illegal crossing into the States, the complaint, which contains unproven allegations, said.

On two separate days in July, patrol agents apprehended four other people who used the tunnel to cross into the U.S., all-identifying Garcia-Jimenez as the alleged smuggler. He made an initial appearance in a U.S. court earlier this week and had a bond hearing set for Friday, U.S. authorities said.