Two Miami men, Ezequiel Perez Benitez, 37, and Miguel Avoy, 36, have entered guilty pleas on federal charges related to a conspiracy to smuggle aliens into the United States. According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, they engaged in “go-fast” boat operations from Miami-Dade County to the Bahamas’ territorial waters, starting in July 2024 through March.
During their return voyages, the boats were intercepted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations and the U.S. Coast Guard in U.S. waters. Found involved in the conspiracy were 69 aliens from various countries, including China and Ecuador. Having either faced prosecution for illegal reentry, the aliens were returned to the Bahamas or turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further immigration proceedings, intercepted by the U.S. officials at sea.
A Chinese national, Baisheng An, a third co-defendant, also pleaded guilty on June 9 to related conspiracy and alien transportation charges. An was nabbed by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) amid an operational sting designed to bring down the human smuggling network as told by the Justice Department’s announcement…