Yacht named Carefree had 12 Chinese migrants and 2 suspected smugglers, Coast Guard says
.jpg "The U.S. Coast Guard stopped the motor yacht, Carefree, in the waters near Fort Lauderdale July 23, 2019. The agency said there were 12 Chinese migrants and two suspected smugglers on board.")
As a U.S. Coast Guard crew patrolled the waters off Fort Lauderdale Tuesday, it spotted a motor yacht named Carefree.
The yacht, the agency says, was not problem free.
According to the Coast Guard, there were 12 Chinese migrants and two suspected smugglers on board.
The yacht was about 13 miles east of Fort Lauderdale.
The two suspected smugglers were taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations, the Coast Guard said.
Meanwhile, the 12 migrants were taken to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations for processing.
The Coast Guard did not say Wednesday where the boat originated from.
“The Coast Guard maintains a focused and coordinated effort with multiple agency assets to interdict criminals in any attempt to unlawfully smuggle migrants by sea to the United States,” said Lt. Ray Lopez, chief of enforcement at Coast Guard Sector Miami, in a news release.
“Migrants should not attempt to smuggle themselves into the country. They not only risk going to jail but also endanger their lives by entrusting smugglers to bring them across the water with little or no lifesaving equipment on board.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2019 at 9:23 PM.
