Smuggler’s Inn owner sentenced after helping guests cross border from Whatcom into Canada
The owner of Smuggler’s Inn in Whatcom County was sentenced to time served and probation in a Canadian court for his role in helping seven people illegally cross the border, according to Canadian news reports.
Robert Boulé, owner of the Blaine bed and breakfast situated along the U.S. Canadian border, pleaded guilty in August in British Superior Court in Vancouver to offenses under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for aiding Afghan and Syrian nationals cross from his inn into Canada between May 2018 and March 2019, according to a story in the Vancouver Sun.
Prosecutors were asking that Boulé receive a 12- to 15-month jail sentence, according to the Sun.
But on Friday, Dec. 17, Boulé was sentenced to time served and probation, according to a Global News story. Boulé’s defense argued that Boulé had a heart condition and suffers from dementia.
Boulé’s sentence included a 12-month suspended sentence plus 15 months probation for providing assistance to the foreign nationals and a 30-day jail term followed by 30 months probation for breaking a bail condition that prohibited him from engaging in the activity, according to a Peace Arch News Story.
Madam Justice Nitya Iyer said she “could not excuse Mr. Boulé’s breach” of the bail condition and that she did not accept Boulé’s explanation of his conduct, according to the Peach Arch News story, but Iyer said she did consider Boule’s age and poor health in her sentencing decision.
“For all my life, I’ve tried to do the right thing. For me, that is trying to lead by example,” Boulé said in a statement before the sentencing, according to the Peace Arch News Story. “When I make a mistake, I try to take responsibility for it. In this case, I made a bad mistake. I’m sorry to the court, the citizens and the government of Canada, and I am truly sorry for my actions.”
Boulé was arrested in April of 2019 for reportedly attempting to help seven people illegally cross the border into Canada between May 2018 and March 2019 from the Smuggler’s Inn, which is located adjacent to the U.S. border with Canada, according to the Surrey Now-Leader at the time. He was originally set to face 30 charges, but nine were stayed in June 2019.
On this side of the border, where Boulé has claimed he was working as an informant for U.S. immigration officials and that they knew of his activities for years, the U.S. District Court in Seattle ruled that Boulé had the right to sue a CBP agent he claims violated his rights.
Boulé alleges the agent violated his rights in March 2014 when he allegedly shoved Boulé against a car and pushed him to the ground while the agent was attempting to question a Turkish guest at the Inn about his immigration status, according to the techdirt.com story. Boulé claims he had to seek medical treatment for injuries to his back resulting from the incident.
Boulé claimed the agent had violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights, according to a blog post on scotusblog.com, which also reported the U.S. Supreme Court agreed Nov. 5 to hear questions about whether the case can proceed. The case is scheduled to be argued March 2, 2022, according to Ballotpedia.org.
This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 12:25 PM with the headline "Smuggler’s Inn owner sentenced after helping guests cross border from Whatcom into Canada."
