BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- A Massena man has been charged with attempting to smuggle undocumented migrants into the United States by boat from Canada after he was apprehended during a second failed smuggling attempt.

According to court documents from the U.S. District Court in Plattsburgh, Allen "A.J." Oshier is facing multiple charges related to a number of alien smuggling schemes he took part in and helped to organize.

Just two weeks ago Border agents executed a search warrant on Oshier's home to seize "items indicative of alien smuggling," according to court documents.

Those items include a boat trailer, lifejackets, broken boat propeller and cell phones.

Police say they also seized 20 grams of a white powder substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.

According to a criminal complaint, Oshier is alleged to have told agents he was responsible for planning multiple smuggling schemes, acknowledging there was a network of coconspirators involved.

Oshier said he was approached about a month ago to help smuggle "Irish people" from Canada into the U.S., saying he would get a call from a co-conspirator he did not identify to begin.

The co-conspirator would simply say "get the boat ready" and would inform Oshier of how many people would be transported.

Oshier allegedly told agents he was paid cash for his part, with the illegals paying his co-conspirator cash as well, documents state.

Oshier was still being held in federal custody as of press time.

Events that led to Oshier's arrest began, in earnest, on Oct. 29 with a failed smuggling attempt across the St. Lawrence River.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agents made apprehensions on two occasions due to mechanical failures of the boats used in the smuggling operation.

On both occasions citizens from the United Kingdom attempted to illegally enter the U.S.

The first incident occurred on Oct. 29 as U.S. Customs and Border agents were called to assist local emergency personnel at the Massena Intake following a 911 call.

According to documents, the caller stated that boaters were in distress on Long Sault Island.

Agents then found four stranded boaters on the shore, two of whom were U.K. nationals.

The other two, Brian Deshane and Corbey Terrance, told agents they were U.S. citizens. Both were charged with conspiracy to bring undocumented aliens into the U.S.

Both Deshane and Terrance are alleged to have been offered compensation in the form of narcotics for successfully bringing the foreign nationals to the U.S., with Terrance also stating he was to also be paid $500.

Both stated they were working for Oshier, documents state.

A second failed attempt via boat occurred on Nov. 7 when agents received information that Oshier was about to attempt to smuggle 15 migrants into the U.S. using the Wilson Hill Boat Launch in the town of Louisville.

Agents surveilled Oshier's Kingsley Road residence and the boat launch upon learning of the conspiracy, eventually seeing three vehicles leave his home around 4 p.m. on Nov. 7.

Documents state a vehicle was seen towing a boat, with all three traveling to the Wilson Hill Boat Launch.

Documents state that roughly one hour later a man and a woman could be seen taking the boat on the St. Lawrence River toward Canada, however a 911 call was made about an hour later which described a boat in distress.

The woman on the call, identified as Tamee Rood, stated the boat had broken down and she was stranded on the river.

Massena Rescue were able to tow the craft back to the Barnhart Island Boat Launch, with Rood and Robert LaRock safety aboard.

According to documents, the "load" vehicles that were to transport everyone from the Wilson Hill Boat Launch had driven back to Oshier's home to await a call from the boat for a pickup.

Witnesses say Oshier was "distraught" over the failed attempt and feared law enforcement would be onto him.

“Oshier was attempting to make as much money as possible because he feared law enforcement would be onto him and that he would be leaving town once he had acquired the necessary funds,” documents state.

Rood and LaRock once again attempted a smuggling run on Nov. 8, shortly after they were seen by agents working on the propeller of the boat around 4 p.m.

But that attempt failed as well, with Rood once again calling 911 in distress as the boat broke down. The boat was then towed to Barnhart Island again.

Documents state that agents then observed the same Sunday boat tied off at the launch again, leading them to believe another attempt might occur on Nov. 9.

Electronic surveillance showed three individuals boarding the boat at 2:49 p.m., with a man seen gassing the boat up.

He was later identified as Brent Pelkey.

By 3:30 p.m. the boat was no longer at the launch and was observed traveling toward Canadian waters, agents said.

By 3:55 p.m., the boat was observed traveling back to Barnhart Island but did not arrive back at the dock after a few minutes "despite ample time to do so," documents state.

“It appeared the boat was either broken down or stuck,” documents state.

Around 4:10 p.m. agents apprehended nine individuals on Wilson Hill, all of whom had wet clothing.

Documents state they appeared “as though they had just swum or waded through the water.”

The nine individuals then told agents they were U.K. citizens who had no legal documentation to be in the U.S. and had been picked up on the Canadian shoreline "by a man and a woman before the boat became stranded."

They then waded onto shore in the U.S., documents state.

Rood and LaRock were then detained by agents after they were observed walking about 100 yards from where the U.K. citizens were encountered.

Pelkey was then detained at the boat launch shortly after.

In a separate incident that occurred on Nov. 6, more conspirators were detained in the town of Malone for smuggling illegal migrants.

Documents state that five people were seen on U.S. Border Patrol cameras walking across the U.S./Canada border before entering a black Jeep in Churubusco.

Agents in an unmarked vehicle were later able to locate the vehicle in Burke, eventually surveilling it until a marked vehicle could pull it over on Route 37 in Malone, documents state.

Scott Davison and Jonathan Popiel were the occupants driving and sitting in the front passenger seat of the vehicle at the time of the stop. In the rear of the vehicle were a male and female passenger, along with three children.

Documents state the passengers in the rear of the vehicle were in the country illegally and had just crossed the border with Canada.

Two of the children were Irish nationals while the third child was a Canadian citizen, documents state.

Court documents show the man told agents he intended to take his family to either New York City or Boston in search of work, however agents found he had "a full extraditable warrant" out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. No details were given as to what the charges may have been or what action was taken.

Davison, who was driving the vehicle, told agents Oshier was paying him $100 to take the family to a hotel in Massena. Davison was also supposed to be paid $1,000 separately in Canadian funds by the male migrant for driving the family to New Jersey.

Popiel was expected receive $500 for his role in the smuggling event.

According to court documents, Popiel told agents he was being paid $250 to smuggle the family from Chateaugay to Massena and that he was to be paid $3,500 total for smuggling the family into the United States.

Oshier, Rood, LaRock, Deshawn, Pelkey and Terrance were all charged with conspiracy to bring aliens into the U.S.

CBP officials say the other co-conspirators are also in custody at this time but no further details were available.