A Jamaican national is among five men charged in connection with an alleged migrant smuggling operation intercepted off the coast of Miami-Dade County, according to U.S. federal prosecutors.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Verdant Roosevelt Scott, 38, of The Bahamas; Zamfir Nitu, 50, of Romania; Donald Coote, 37, of Jamaica; Sergio Alejandro Correa Ramirez, 30, of Colombia; and Gheorghe Ion Chiperi, 43, of Moldova.
According to court records, the men made their initial appearances in federal court on April 30 and May 1.
Investigators said law enforcement officers detected a suspect vessel traveling west toward Miami-Dade County before intercepting it shortly after midnight on April 26, approximately five miles offshore.
Authorities said the vessel was operating without navigation lights when officers approached. After law enforcement activated lights and sirens, the boat slowed and eventually stopped. Prosecutors allege Roosevelt Scott was operating the vessel at the time.
Officials said 25 migrants, including Roosevelt Scott, were found aboard the small center-console vessel and transferred to the United States Coast Guard cutter Winslow Griesser for biometric screening and records checks.
According to prosecutors, those checks revealed that Coote, Correa Ramirez, Nitu and Chiperi had previously been deported from the United States.
Roosevelt Scott has been charged with 24 counts of encouraging and inducing migrants to enter the United States and two counts of aiding or assisting certain migrants to enter the country.
The remaining four defendants are charged with illegal reentry after deportation.
If convicted, Roosevelt Scott faces up to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors said Nitu and Coote each face up to 20 years because of prior aggravated felony convictions, while Correa Ramirez and Chiperi each face up to two years in prison.
The remaining 20 migrants were not charged and were repatriated to The Bahamas.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Miami with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations and the Coast Guard.
