Cellphone records examined in trial of 2 men accused of human smuggling that led to family’s deaths

The trial in Fergus Falls, Minnesota continues as the prosecution presented phone, banking, and other evidence to the jury in a human smuggling case involving two accused men, Steve Shand and Harshkumar Patel. The prosecution alleges that the two men were involved in smuggling operations across the Canada-U.S. border between Manitoba and Minnesota in December 2021 and January 2022. Despite the charges, both Shand and Patel have pleaded not guilty to the accusations.

Tragically, a family of four from India, including Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishali, and their children Dharmik and Vihangi, froze to death in a blizzard just north of the border on January 19, 2022. This incident occurred on the same day that Shand was arrested in a van just south of the border, adding a somber and heartbreaking dimension to the trial.

During the fourth day of the trial, a cellular communications analyst from the Federal Bureau of Investigation testified about phone records that allegedly tracked Shand’s two phones from his hometown in Florida to Minnesota and then to an area near the border. These records showed numerous calls to and from phones believed to belong to Patel. However, under cross-examination, the analyst admitted that cell records provide only a general location and do not offer pinpoint accuracy.

Shand’s lawyer raised doubts about the evidence, pointing out that it does not definitively prove that Shand was using the phone in question. The analyst confirmed that it was impossible to determine who possessed the cellphone at any given time. Additionally, the trial heard from two forensic pathologists who confirmed that the Patel family found frozen in a Manitoba field died from hypothermia.

Shand’s defense team argued that he was unaware of the illegal activities and had only been a taxi driver who unwittingly transported people for the co-accused. On the other hand, Patel’s lawyers claimed that their client had been mistakenly identified as part of an international smuggling ring.

Prosecutors also presented evidence linking Harshkumar Patel to various documents and phone records. One phone, allegedly belonging to Patel, was listed under the name “Dirty Harry” on another phone attributed to Shand. Bank records showed large sums of money being deposited into an account allegedly held by Shand in Florida around the time of the border crossings in 2022.

As the trial continues, the jury will have to carefully weigh the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defense to determine the guilt or innocence of Shand and Patel in this tragic case of human smuggling across the Canada-U.S. border.