TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Twelve people have been charged with running a “massive” human smuggling ring involving children in Tampa, DOJ officials said.
The indictments were announced in a press conference held by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida, and several out-of-state U.S. attorneys. The conference covered several investigations conducted by Joint Task Force Alpha, which targets human trafficking and smuggling along the border.
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“The defendants engaged in a conspiracy to bring illegal aliens from Cuba to the U.S. for profit,” Bondi said. “They coached their clients, including children who came to airports alone, came to our country alone, were put on planes for connecting flights, lied to border patrol agents due to coaching and law enforcement.”
The indictment identifies the individuals involved in these smuggling ring as:
- Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, 27, of Hialeah, FL (unlawfully residing in the United States);
- Yuniel Lima-Santos, 30, of Tampa, FL;
- Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, 26, unlawfully residing in Lebanon, TN;
- Marianny Lucia Lopez-Torres, 25, residing in Cuba, (formerly Hialeah, FL);
- Frandy Aragon-Diaz, 33, of Cuba, (formerly unlawfully residing in Tampa, FL);
- Erik Ventura-Castro, 23, residing in Hialeah, FL;
- Miguel Alejandro Martinez Vasconcelos, 30, of Tampa, FL;
- Walbis Pozo-Dutel, 30, residing in Katy, TX ;
- Emanuel Martinez Gonzalez, 28, unlawfully residing in Hialeah, FL;
- Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero, 31, of Tampa, FL;
- Layra Libertad Treto Santos, 31, of Tampa, FL; and
- Gisleivy Peralta Consuegra, 40, of Tampa, FL.
Federal prosecutors said from January 2021 to June 2025, the smuggling ring promoted fake visa services online and told Cuban citizens they could get into the U.S. by falsely claiming European citizenship…