Escaped PA prisoner kayaks into Canada

TORONTO, ONT. (WIVB) - Border Patrol agents worked with Canadian authorities to find two felons, one of whom had managed to illegally cross into Canada from the U.S.

On October 16, authorities arrested Giorgio Cote-Mendoza, a Colombian citizen on Canada Border Services Agency's most wanted list for his alleged ties to organized crime and for living in Canada illegally. Border Patrol provided the information that led to Cote-Mendoza's arrest in Toronto.

A week later, Canadian authorities arrested a man who had escaped from prison in Bucks, PA and was wanted on multiple warrants. Border Patrol agents found a vehicle they believed was abandoned by Steven Pieczynski in Lewiston and police provided agents with video of Pieczynski kayaking his way into Canada. On October 23, after pinpointing his location, authorities arrested Pieczynski in Toronto.

These arrests were made possible by the Integrated Border Enforcement Team, which utilizes Canadian and American authorities to work on cross-border crime.