DERBY LINE — Authorities say a Canadian man has been charged with transporting illegal aliens in the United States after he was picked up in Derby Line last month.
Viatcheslav Kim, of Montreal, was stopped during the early morning of May 31, in Derby Line, as he was driving two persons who appeared to have just illegally entered the U.S. from Canada, on foot.
Neither of Kim’s passengers were U.S. citizens, and neither had permission to be inside the United States. One of the men was a Russian citizen, the other a citizen of Uzbekistan.
Border Patrol Agents in the Newport area had been scouting Kim’s activity after he entered the U.S. through Derby Line at around 1:30 a.m. They witnessed him driving near Letourneau’s Field talking on a cell phone, an area known as a common smuggling route.
Agents were also tipped off from Canadian authorities that two individuals were observed through remote surveillance cameras headed toward the U.S./Canada international border.
He was stopped while pulling onto the southbound ramp of I-91.
“These arrests highlight the importance of our profession and display the unique talents Border Patrol Agents put forth to disrupt transnational criminal activity while securing our nation’s northern border,” said Chief Patrol Agent John C. Pfeifer.
Should Kim be convicted as charged he faces a maximum possible sentence of a five-year term of incarceration.
After the hearing, Kim was released on conditions which included the posting of a $3,000 cash bond.
