The authorities of Coral Gables, in the county of Miami-Dade,Florida, arrested three Cuban citizens involved in a migrant smuggling operation, after the discovery of more than 20 people in precarious conditions inside a U-Haul truck and a Toyota Corolla vehicle. The investigation began when a resident reported a possible kidnapping in a neighborhood of the city, which led to police intervention and the arrest of the suspects. According to Broward County authorities, those arrested were identified as Lucas Sedeno-Rodríguez, José Luis Villares and Keiner Cicilia-Rodríguez.
On Friday morning, a resident of Snapper Creek Lakesa neighborhood in Coral Gablesapproached a police officer after witnessing what he described as a kidnapping. According to the federal criminal complaint obtained by WPLGthe witness recorded with his cell phone the moment in which a man “forcibly pushed” a woman into a Toyota Corolla with Texas platesparked next to a truck U-Haul.
The witness showed the video to the officer, who immediately alerted police to the situation. At that moment, the suspicious vehicles passed in front of the agents, allowing authorities to track them to the 6700 block of LeJeune Road. There, police stopped both vehicles and found 28 peopleincluding the three alleged smugglers, according to WPLG.
During the inspection, officers found 23 people inside the U-Haulled by Jose Luis Villaresaccording to the criminal complaint cited by CBSNewsMiami. In the Toyota Corolla, driven by Lucas Sedeno-Rodriguez and with Keiner Cicilia-Rodriguez As a passenger, there were three other migrants, including the woman who had been seen by the witness.
According to UnivisionCoral Gables Police Chief, Ed Hudakreported that inside the U-Haul van there were 23 peoplemostly chinese citizens. Agents also identified migrants from Ecuador and Brazilwhich confirmed suspicions that it was a human trafficking network.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by CBS News Miamithe U-Haul van had its windows covered with cardboard boxesa tactic used to conceal passengers. Inside, it only had the front seats, which forced migrants to travel standing or sitting on the floor.
The agents also noticed that none of the migrants were wearing luggage or large belongingsonly personal items such as cell phones, jewelry and chargers. The absence of objects common to tourists, such as sunscreen or cameras, reinforced the hypothesis that they were illegally transferred people, according to CBSNewsMiami.
During the investigation, agents determined that the migrants had arrived at Florida by boat from the Bahamasaccording to WPLG. The police chief Ed Hudak He noted that they landed near the canal Snapper Creeka point used in other human trafficking operations. The federal complaint cited by CBS News Miami reveals that the three suspects had been hired by a network based in the Bahamas to pick up migrants and transfer them to another location in Miami-Dade County.
In his statements after being read his Miranda rights, Lucas Sedeno-Rodriguez admitted to having been recruited in homestead by a man known as “Miggy,” whom he identified as part of a human trafficking network from the Bahamas. According to the complaint obtained by WPLG“Miggy” offered him $5,000 dollars to collect and transport migrants.
Another suspect Jose Luis Villaresdeclared to the agents that Sedeno-Rodriguez He recruited him and promised him $500 dollars for helping with transportation, according to documents cited by CBS News Miami. For its part, Keiner Cicilia-Rodriguez He claimed to have been in charge of renting the van U-Haul by order of Sedeno-Rodriguezaccording to WPLG. During interrogations, several migrants identified the three men as those responsible for their transportation, which led to their immediate arrest, according to CBSNewsMiami.
All three suspects face federal charges for transporting, moving, or attempting to move an alien within the United Statesaccording to court documents obtained by WPLG. At the moment, Sedeno-Rodríguez y Villares remain imprisoned in the Miami Federal Detention Centerwhile Cicilia-Rodriguez does not appear in the records of the federal prison system, according to CBS News Miami.
Authorities continue to investigate whether the detainees are part of a larger organization dedicated to human trafficking between the Bahamas and Floridaa frequent route used by smuggling networks, according to Univision.
