Two Miami men have been charged with human trafficking following a U.S. Coast Guard stop earlier this year near Islamorada, authorities said.
Oscar Alfredo Bustamante-Semeren, 29, and Alejandro Gauche-Valdez, 35, were arrested after the Coast Guard halted their boat on July 15 in waters near Mile Marker 86.
Bustamante-Semeren admitted they were en route to Cuba to pick up nationals, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Both men are currently jailed in Miami on unrelated charges, and warrants for their arrest in Monroe County have been issued.
Working with the Office of the State Attorney, MCSO detectives pursued the human trafficking charges after federal prosecutors declined the case.
Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay criticized the U.S. Attorney’s Office for not pursuing the offenders, while law enforcement continued the investigation.
“Another great job by Sgt. Joel Slough, the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to arrest these two criminals,” said Ramsay. “We will continue to take a hard stance on crime, even when the U.S. Attorney’s Office fails to do its job. The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s unwillingness to pursue criminal offenders who traffic humans is sad. These offenders continue to wreak havoc in our community and other communities.”
MCSO said that Bustamante-Semeren is also linked to the Venezuelan gang “Tren De Aragua.”
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