FORT PIERCE (AP) - A Haitian man is facing imprisonment in the United States after pleading guilty to illegally smuggling migrants aboard a boat from The Bahamas.
Veronel Charles faces between three and 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in August in a Florida federal court. Charles pleaded guilty to two alien smuggling counts last week.
Fort Pierce court records show Charles piloted a boat in mid-March carrying 19 migrants from The Bahamas to St Lucie County. Authorities say the passengers did not have proper travel documents and were all from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Five of those aboard had previously been deported from the US for felony criminal convictions.
Comments
Tommy77 8 years, 10 months ago
Not good at all.
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SP 8 years, 10 months ago
.............................. Find Masterminds Behind Human Smuggling ..................................
About time some of these Haitian smugglers were caught. This man should be interrogated and offered a special deal to reveal administrators and others involved on both sides of the borders.
Criminals circumvent law enforcement, reoffend at will, constantly move between countries committing any number of crimes from arms dealing, murder to drug smuggling.
Human smuggling is a $200M annual enterprise between Haiti and Bahamas alone. Add Florida to the equation and the gross increases exponentially.
Anyone ignorant enough to think powerful people in governments on both sides are going to allow $200M+ a year to slip through their fingers and not get involved for piece of the action needs to have their heads examined!
Andrewharris 8 years, 10 months ago
There are many Bahamians doing this also.
birdiestrachan 8 years, 10 months ago
This is a good case for Fred Smith. and the Campbell woman who insist on running the Bahamas immigration. They dare not try that in the USA.
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