CORAL GABLES, FL – Police in Coral Gables arrested two individuals after uncovering a human smuggling operation involving 26 Chinese migrants packed into two vans on Tuesday morning.
The Coral Gables Police Department acted on a tip via a 911 call that led them to intercept two suspicious vans. One was captured on Old Cutler Road, while the other was stopped near Kendall Drive around 8 a.m. Both were found carrying migrants.
According to Police Chief Edward James Hudak Jr., the migrants comprised 17 men and nine women. “The discovery prompts urgent questions regarding their intended destination,” Hudak stated.
Aerial footage captured the scene as authorities surrounded the vans, with several migrants seen seated on the roadside. After initial checks, they were transferred to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection van for further processing at an undisclosed site.
On Tuesday afternoon, a Border Patrol spokesperson confirmed that the arrested smugglers would face criminal charges. Chief Hudak noted the individuals in custody were of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent, adding that authorities had also seized a firearm.
Investigators believe the migrants arrived by boat, landing south of Coral Gables before boarding the vans. Connections to a similar January 17 incident, where 31 Chinese migrants were discovered in a U-Haul van, remain under investigation. That case involved migrants from China, Ecuador, and Brazil who had traveled from the Bahamas.
In the earlier incident, law enforcement arrested three men for transporting undocumented migrants, revealing a suspected smuggling ring that charged the migrants for transit within the U.S. It has yet to be determined if there is a link between the two occurrences.
After a health evaluation by fire rescue teams, the migrants were reported to be in good condition. However, further details about the recent arrests and specific charges have not been disclosed by officials.
In a statement, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass emphasized the importance of the operation in combating human smuggling. “Today’s actions by law enforcement are pivotal in our ongoing fight against these criminal activities,” he remarked.
Homeland Security Investigations has now taken over the investigation, as local and state officials continue to cooperate in addressing this pressing issue.
Will the 26 Chinese get deported back to China? The Cuban government should pay for their travel.