Smuggler who dropped illegal immigrants off 'left with the vessel,' report states

* By Will Greenlee
* Posted April 6, 2010 at 1 a.m. , updated April 6, 2010 at 4:32 p.m.

MARTIN COUNTY _ Each of the 10 illegal immigrants who were apprehended Monday in Martin County is thought to have paid between $9,000 and $14,000 for the trip, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The men, who are from the Dominican Republic and in the country illegally, were in good health. They said they traveled by boat from the Bahamas.

Each of the 10 is thought to have paid between $9,000 to $14,000 to the smuggler for the trip, said Elee Erice, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman.

Some of the men said they stayed at a "stash house" in the Bahamas for about a month before the trip, according to Erice.

Officials think they traveled directly from the Dominican Republic to the Bahamas.

“Reports indicate that the illegal immigrants were dropped off and that the smuggler left with the vessel,â€