Smuggler's Inn owner charged with trying to help 7 people illegally enter Canada

The proprietor of a U.S. border-town bed and breakfast has been charged with 21 counts under the Immigration Act for "inducing, aiding or abetting" seven people who attempted toillegally enter Canada.

Robert Joseph Boul, owner of the Smuggler's Inn inBlaine, Wash. which is located just metres away from the B.C. border was charged this week in B.C. with offences alleged to have occurred between May 2018 and March 2019.

They includea series of breaches of court orders thathe was "not to assist any person in the United States with attempting to enter Canada illegally."

He is accused of attemptingto help seven different people enter Canada illegally.

It's unclear whether or notany of themdid, ultimately, enter Canada.

Court records filed April 4 show that Boulremains in custody in Canada. None of theallegations have been proven.

'No-tell Hotel'

Boul,who was born in 1949, has owned the Smuggler's Inn on Canada View Drive for 20 years.

Two years ago, he told CBC News how common it was tosee people stealing over the border at night using night-vision goggles.

He played up the smuggling theme at his business by naming each room after a famous criminal. His property was nicknamed the "No-tell Hotel" in Canadian Geographic in 2010, in homage to its proximity to the border.

Take a look inside the Smuggler's Inn:

Tour the Smuggler's Inn, Blaine, Washington

7 years ago

Duration 2:13

Brenna Rose talks with B & B owner Bob Boul about life on the edge of the Canadian-American border.

Boulis active in the Blaine business community and is a well-known figure in the small border town.

He hasvolunteered to help people with fundraising campaigns and hosted residentsin need in the past.

Guest arrest

The Smuggler's Inn has been featured in several news stories over the years, some focused on issues related to proximity to the border,such as illegal immigrantsand drug smuggling.

One incident in 2011 involved a 21-year-old guest who was caught by U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents heading to the inn with 11 kilogramsof cocaine jammed into a box.

Three Vancouver residents pleaded guilty to drug offences in Seattle in connection withthat drug bust, which made headlinesin partbecause of the name of the inn.

Thatcrime was not connectedto Boul.

The Canada Border Services Agency said it could not comment on an ongoing legal case.

But in an email, itconfirmedthatpenalties against human smuggling were increased in 2002 to amaximum fine of $1 million and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Calls to the Smuggler's Inn were met only by an answering machine.

Map shows the inn's proximity to the border: