6 Charged In Human Smuggling Operation

ICE: 60 Pounds Of Marijuana Found On Boat
POSTED: Wednesday, February 24, 2010
UPDATED: 10:41 am EST February 24, 2010

CUTLER BAY, Fla. -- Seven people were taken into custody after officials chased a boat in connection with a possible human smuggling operation, and investigators are trying to determine whether a man's death was connected to the incident.

According to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement representative, the vessel was spotted just before 6 p.m. Tuesday. Miami-Dade police launched a helicopter to track the boat, which was on its way from the Bahamas to the U.S. The chase ended at Black Point Marina.

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Seven people were taken into custody. The ICE representative said two people, one from Jamaica and one from the Bahamas, were charged with human smuggling. Four others, who previously had been deported from the U.S., were charged with illegal entry into the U.S., according to ICE. Investigators spoke to a seventh person and decided not to charge him.

Investigators said of the four people who were being smuggled into the U.S., two were Bahamian, one was from Trinidad and one was from Jamaica.

An ICE spokeswoman said investigators found 60 pounds of marijuana on the boat. No charges have been filed in connection with the drugs.

Federal agents found a man's body in the water about 30 feet from shore. ICE representatives said they do not know whether the man's death was connected to the case, and they do not know how he died.

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