ELEVEN MEMBERS OF CUBAN ALIEN SMUGGLING RING INDICTED
Date: 2007-04-09
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R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Rear Admiral David W. Kunkel, Commander 7th Coast Guard District, U.S. Coast Guard, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Anthony V. Mangione, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announce the Indictment and arrests of defendant Ramon Barrabi-Puentes and ten members of his alien smuggling operation.





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(Media-Newswire.com) - R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Rear Admiral David W. Kunkel, Commander 7th Coast Guard District, U.S. Coast Guard, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Anthony V. Mangione, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announce the Indictment and arrests of defendant Ramon Barrabi-Puentes and ten members of his alien smuggling operation.

The Indictment alleges that Barrabi-Puentes and his associates attempted to smuggle dozens of Cuban migrants into the United States on three separate occasions between February 20, 2007 and March 4, 2007. According to the Indictment, on February 21, 2007, a "go fast" vessel piloted by two of the defendants, Alexis de la Cruz and Janny Grijalva-Gonzalez, was interdicted by a U.S. Coast Guard patrol with 34 Cuban migrants aboard. The maximum statutory sentence for each charge of alien smuggling is fifteen years' imprisonment. The Indictment also alleges that Barrabi-Puentes and his associates conspired to smuggle aliens into the United States, a charge which is punishable by up to ten years' imprisonment.

The Indictment and arrests are the direct result of a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Coast Guard, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Drug Enforcment Administration (DEA), United States Customs and Border Protection (CPB), and Miami-Dade Police Department launched in April 2006, into the Barrabi-Puentes alien smuggling organization. Each member agency brings a wealth of experience and particular expertise in areas necessary to successfully investigate and prosecute alien smuggling violations.

"These arrests demonstrate law enforcement's firm commitment to apprehend alien smugglers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law," said United States Attorney Acosta.

"The Indictment and arrest of these smugglers demonstrates the resolve of the U.S. Coast Guard and its partners to secure our nation's borders," said Rear Adm. David W. Kunkel, commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District. "Migrant smuggling creates unacceptable conditions of human suffering and needlessly endangers the lives of undocumented migrants as well as those charged with rescuing them."

"Alien smuggling organizations are driven by greed with little regard for the health, well-being, dignity, or motivation of their human cargo," said Anthony V. Mangione, acting special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Miami. "Attacking and dismantling these criminal groups is critical to securing our borders and ensuring compliance with our immigration and customs laws. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to bring these smugglers to justice."

Mr. Acosta commends the outstanding investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Coast Guard, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Drug Enforcment Administration (DEA), United States Customs and Border Protection (CPB), and Miami-Dade Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Karen Gilbert, Adam S. Fels, and Alison Lehr.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.


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