Call from Cuban waters to Hialeah kicks of cross-straits rescue, repatriation.
BY ADAM H. BEASLEY
abeasley@miamiherald.com

With his 36-foot boat taking on water off the northern coast of Cuba last Wednesday, the captain of a suspected smuggling vessel carrying 14 Cuban nationals placed a phone call.

But the distress call didn’t go to the U.S. Coast Guard, and certainly not Cuban authorities. Instead, the boat’s operator rang a buddy in Hialeah, and had him contact the powers that be.

Six days later, the migrants are back in Cuba. The boat is sunk.

The two suspected smugglers? They remain free, although federal charges remain a distinct possibility.

All of this is according to the Coast Guard and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which have not released the names – not even the nationalities – of the alleged smugglers while their criminal inquiry remains open.

“What I can tell you is that the two individuals are not in custody; but the ICE investigation is ongoing,â€