Two men accused of smuggling people into Minnesota across the U.S.-Canada border have pleaded not guilty.

Those they allegedly smuggled included four members of an Indian family from the state of Gujarat who froze to death in a blizzard in 2022.

Harshkumar Patel, 28, also known as “Dirty Harry,” during a brief conference call with U.S. Magistrate Judge Leo Brisbois in Duluth on Monday Pleaded guilty to seven counts of human smuggling.

Authorities allege that Patel hired Steven Shand, 49, of Deltona, Florida, to illegally transport unauthorized immigrants across the Canadian border into the Chicago area. Shand pleaded not guilty at the same hearing.

Shand was arrested two years ago and charged with human smuggling but remains free on bail. Prior to Patel’s arrest last month, his case had been stalled several times. Patel is in federal custody.

Defense attorney Thomas Leinenweber did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Wednesday.

According to a recent court filing and information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Patel has been denied a U.S. visa at least five times and is currently in the U.S. illegally. His name had not been mentioned in connection with smuggling until his arrest in Chicago last year. The search warrants were sealed until last September.

Unsealed documents show that Patel has links to a human trafficking ring in the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat. Authorities say the gang brought Indian nationals into Canada on student visas and then smuggled them into the Chicago area.

Prosecutors said that on January 19, 2022, Shand was driving a rented 15-passenger truck that was intercepted by the U.S. Border Patrol in Minnesota near the Canadian border.

Inside were two Gujaratis who had entered the United States illegally. They said five other people were found nearby and had been walking in sub-zero temperatures for more than 11 hours. One person was seriously injured due to the cold.

The group claimed to have been separated from a family of four, whose bodies were later found meters away from the Manitoba border.

The deceased were identified as Jagdish Patel (39), Vaishaliben (34), daughter Vihangi (11) and son Dharmik (3) from Gujarat. Relatives said that both parents were teachers and were seeking a better life in the United States.

Shand admitted to transporting people for Patel and transporting passengers to the border five times at various locations in the Chicago area, receiving fees of approximately $25,000.

This report received some information from The Associated Press.