Federal agents busted a human smuggling operation in the Florida Keys over the weekend, resulting in the detention of 20 migrants and the arrest of five men accused of smuggling them.
Despite the foiled operation, which included 13 people from Ecuador and seven from China, the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to file charges, leading to an impasse with the local Sheriff's department which proceeded to press charges of human smuggling with the help of Monroe State Attorney Dennis Ward
"If they won't do their jobs, we'll do ours and let people know that if you commit a crime in Monroe County, you're not going to get away with it," Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement picked up by The Miami Herald. "The Sheriff's Office and the State Attorney's Office do not condone criminal behavior and will always work to hold people accountable," added the Sheriff.
The men arrested are being held on a bond of $100,000 in Monroe County jail on 20 counts each of human smuggling, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
The incident began when a boat offloaded the migrants along a remote road in the Florida Keys, after which they were transported in two pickup trucks toward the mainland. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, Border Patrol officers, and local police intercepted the vehicles in Florida City on Sunday night, detaining the migrants and arresting the alleged smugglers.
While the U.S. Attorney's Office has not provided further comment on the case, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations is continuing its federal investigation in coordination with local authorities.
Back in June, the keys were also in the news for another high profile migrant smuggling case when Border Patrol agents intercepted over 100 undocumented Haitian immigrants off the coast of Key West. Civil organizations in South Florida, home to the largest Haitian community in the U.S., called for humane treatment of the migrants, emphasizing the perilous journey they endured in search of safety.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
