Boat smuggling Chinese, Colombians and Ecuadorans stopped by feds near Biscayne Bay
The trend of boats smuggling migrants of diverse nationalities from the Bahamas to South Florida shows no sign of slowing, with federal agents stopping another vessel in Biscayne Bay ferrying 23 people Tuesday.
Tuesday’s incident happened exactly a week after Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted a boat heading from Bimini toward Key Biscayne carrying 12 migrants who are Chinese, Haitian and Bangladeshi nationals. And in January, two separate high-profile landings played out on the tree-lined streets of Coral Gables after migrants, mostly from China, arrived via smuggling boats from the Bahamas.
Since then, Coast Guard and other federal agencies have stopped several smuggling boats at sea in Biscayne Bay seemingly headed to either Coral Gables or Key Biscayne to drop off their human cargo.
READ MORE: Boat stopped off Key Biscayne with Chinese, Haitian and Bangladeshi migrants: Feds
The latest venture was discovered around 11:40 a.m. Tuesday by a Customs Air and Marine Operations aircraft crew who spotted two boats transiting between the Bahamas and South Florida, according to a federal complaint. A Customs patrol boat stopped one of the vessels about six nautical miles southeast of Biscayne National Park at 3 p.m., the complaint states.
The agents found 23 passengers on board, some were hiding in the vessel’s cuddy cabins, and others in the rear engine compartment, according to the Homeland Security Investigations complaint. They were from China, Colombia and Ecuador, agents said.
READ MORE: How Coral Gables became a key end point for smuggled Chinese migrants
The boat’s operator, Juan Pablo Duarte Frias, is a citizen of the Dominican Republic, the complaint states. HSI agents traveled out to the boat to interview Duarte Frias, who told them he was expected to be paid $1,500 per migrant, according to the report.
As agents were speaking to Duarte Frias, another boat approached that was being driven by Carlixto Guzman Holquin, who is a permanent U.S. resident from the Dominican Republic, according to the report.
Agents say the two men have known each other for nearly 30 years. Duarte Frias told agents that he was planning to meet Guzman Holquin at a predetermined GPS location, where Guzman Holquin was expected to lead Duarte Frias’ vessel into shore, the complaint states.
Federal Bureau of Prison records do not show either man as being in custody as of Wednesday. Both face a charge of encouraging and inducing aliens to enter the U.S. Information about their legal representation was not immediately available.
