The American owner of the Smuggler’s Inn has been detained for attempting to smuggle 7 individuals into British Columbia.
The attempts are said to have taken place between May 2018 and March 2019.
Robert Joseph Boulé, who owns the property, is facing 21 counts under the Immigration Act for aiding and abetting illegal entry into Canada.
“Most of them don’t speak English. Some of them are well educated, some of them are doctors,” said Boulé about some of his guests in 2017.
Boulé’s inn has become a hotspot for those seeking to cross the US border into Canada. He has owned the bed and breakfast establishment for nearly two decades and has named rooms after famous criminals.
This is not the first time that Boulé’s inn has made national headlines.
In one case, Smuggler’s Inn was the last stop for a 21-year old man who attempted to smuggle 11 kg of cocaine into Canada before being apprehended by US Homeland Security. However, the crime was never connected to the inn owner.
Currently, Boulé is being represented by American lawyer Greg Boos and potentially faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Boulé is set to have another bail hearing in Vancouver on April 25th.
