Two smugglers detained after 20-plus Chinese migrants found in vans in Coral Gables: cops

For the second time this month, Coral Gables police stopped a van after receiving a tip and found a large group of mostly Chinese migrants crammed into the back.

Both vans were found off Old Cutler Road, near the waterfront mansions that front Biscayne Bay and fetch millions in the southern tip of the Gables.

Around 8 a.m Tuesday, Gables police got a 911 call of “two vans possibly transporting migrants,” said Sgt. Michelle Christensen.

Police stopped one van at the intersection of Old Cutler Road and Kendall Drive, and another at 11600 Old Cutler Road, said Detective Taha Khaled, closing down parts of Old Cutler during the morning rush hour. She said there were 26 migrants, mostly from China.

Circuitous route that began in China: cops

Investigators believe the smuggling route originated in China and likely went through Taiwan, then onto Ecuador and finally to the Bahamas before the groups were taken to the Southeastern U.S. by boat. Most, if not all, of the Chinese people aboard the vessels had paperwork and cellphones. And they all seem to be healthy.

“It doesn’t seem to be trafficking,” said Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak.

Two suspected smugglers — one from Cuba, one from Puerto Rico were detained, Khaled said.

As of Tuesday evening, it was unclear whether they were taken to one of South Florida’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers, either Krome in south Miami-Dade or Broward.

READ MORE: Federal agents round up undocumented migrants across South Florida amid nationwide raids

Chinese migrants also picked up near Snapper Creek

The incident comes two weeks after three Cuban men were taken into federal custody after they were found smuggling Chinese migrants in a U-haul van near Snapper Creek in Coral Gables, which is in the same area where the migrants were found on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Cuban smuggler promised $5K, then caught with over 20 Chinese migrants in Miami: feds

In the U-haul incident, the men were hired to transport more than 20 migrants, most of them Chinese, but were stopped by police after a witness reported seeing a woman being shoved into a car.

This report will be updated as more details become available.

This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 10:22 AM.