KEY WEST, Florida — The Coast Guard interdicted 10 Cuban migrants and two suspected smugglers Monday 12 miles off Villa Clara Province, Cuba.
Coast Guard 7th District watchstanders received notification of an illegal departure of a 30-foot go-fast vessel with 12 people aboard in the vicinity of Villa Clara Province.
A Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft crew located the vessel and vectored the Coast Guard Cutter Raymond Evans (WPC-1110) crew to the location where they embarked ten males and two females. The Coast Guard cutter Evans crew repatriated the ten Cuban migrants back to their home of origin. The two suspected smugglers were transferred into Homeland Security Investigations custody.
“The Coast Guard maintains a focused and coordinated effort with multiple agency assets to interdict any attempt to unlawfully immigrate by sea to the United States,” said Rear Adm Peter J Brown, commander of Coast Guard 7th District. “Those who are interdicted at sea attempting to illegally immigrate will be repatriated to their country in accordance with existing US immigration policy. Migrant interdiction operations save lives and we need the support of the local communities, families and information outlets in the media to help reiterate the dangers of taking these unsafe voyages. The sea conditions can change in an instant and can be unforgiving to the ill-equipped craft that are often used for these voyages.”
Brown is the commander of the Coast Guard’s 7th District based in Miami, Florida which oversees all Coast Guard operations in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, as well as…
