Key Takeaways

  • Annan Nigel Ferguson, 50, was sentenced to one year in prison for aiding a man hidden in his minivan's trunk at the Sprague port of entry.
  • The man in the trunk, Temitope Omofuyi Davies, 46, admitted paying $1,000 USD and had tried to cross near Surrey, B.C., in March.
  • Davies pleaded guilty in August and was sentenced to time served — 156 days.

The passenger was in the trunk, and he had paid $1,000 for the ride

A U.S. citizen has been sentenced to a year in prison after border officers found a man hidden in the trunk of his minivan at Manitoba's Sprague port of entry, the Canada Border Services Agency announced Thursday.

Annan Nigel Ferguson, 50, arrived at Sprague on May 7, 2026, driving a minivan with a U.S. licence plate. Officers spotted inconsistencies in his declaration, searched the vehicle, and found Temitope Omofuyi Davies, 46, hiding in the trunk. Both men were arrested.

Davies admitted to CBSA criminal investigators that he had paid Ferguson $1,000 USD to bring him into Canada illegally — the money was found in Ferguson's wallet. It was not Davies' first attempt: he had been caught in March 2026 trying to cross into Canada between ports of entry near Surrey, B.C.

Both men pleaded guilty

CBSA charged both men under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act on May 8, and both stayed in custody until sentencing.

Ferguson pleaded guilty in Winnipeg Provincial Court to aiding or abetting failure to report, contrary to section 131 of the Act. He was sentenced on November 4 to one year in prison; with the custody he has already served, he has about three months left.

Davies pleaded guilty on August 19 to failure to report under section 124 and was sentenced to time served — 156 days.

The CBSA thanked Homeland Security Investigations for its help with the case.

The Twikup Take

A trunk, a thousand U.S. dollars and a border crossing with a paper trail in the driver's own wallet — this was never a sophisticated operation. It still ends the way Canadian courts keep signalling these cases will end: prison for the driver, and a record that follows the passenger.

Image: Illustrative image.

Sources