Calgary

Calgary man sentenced after being convicted of human smuggling for 2nd time

A Calgary man has been sentenced for smuggling a foreigner across the border into Canada, says the Canada Border Services Agency, which led the investigation.

Ismail Nababteh, 47, facilitated and profited from a foreign national’s entry into Canada, CBSA says

A Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) patch is seen on an officer in Calgary, Alta., Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says Ismail Nababteh of Calgary helped a foreign national illegally enter into Canada on July 13, 2017. It happened near Surrey, B.C. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

A Calgary man has been sentenced for smuggling a foreigner across the border into Canada, says the Canada Border Services Agency, which led the investigation.

The illegal immigrant was brought across the U.S. border to Surrey, B.C., on July 13, 2017, but not at a designated border crossing, CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer confirmed to CBC News.

Ismail Nababteh, 47, facilitated — and profited from — the foreign national's entry into Canada, the CBSA said Tuesday.

Nababteh received a 15-month conditional sentence, including three months of house arrest, on July 9 from the New Westminster Supreme Court in B.C.

Nababteh was previously convicted of smuggling three people into Canada in 2016 and sentenced to six months, less one day, in prison.

The incident in 2017 happened while Nababteh was on bail, the agency said.

"The CBSA is committed to combating human smuggling, protecting vulnerable persons, and maintaining our border integrity," said John Linde, the director of the CBSA's intelligence and enforcement operations division.

"The agency works closely with its partners, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, to identify, investigate and prosecute those engaging in immigration fraud."