CORAL GABLES, FLA. (WSVN) - Two smugglers were arrested after they were found transporting 26 Chinese migrants in the back of two separate vans in a Coral Gables neighborhood, authorities say.
Coral Gables Police said they received a 911 call about two vans possibly transporting migrants.
Authorities followed up on the tip and intercepted the vans. One of them was traveling along Old Cutler Road and the other near Kendall Drive around 8 a.m., Tuesday.
“A subsequent investigation revealed 26 Chinese nationals. The breakdown on that are nine females, 17 males,” said Coral Gables Police Department Chief Edward James Hudak Jr.
At this time, it remains unclear where the migrants were traveling to.
7Skyforce hovered above the scene, where police cruisers had blocked the white van that was transporting the migrants.
Several people could be seen sitting on the side of the road.
Authorities later patted down and loaded the migrants onto a U.S. Customs and Border Protection van and transported them to an undisclosed location to be processed.
In a post on X, formally Twitter, a spokesperson for Border Patrol confirmed Tuesday afternoon that the smugglers arrested would be held accountable and criminally prosecuted.
“One was of Cuban descent, the other one was Puerto Rican descent. There were also evidence impounded, including a firearm,” said Hudak.
Police believe the migrants were brought to the area by boat, landed in the southern part of the city and then hopped into the van.
On Jan 17., 31 Chinese migrants were discovered in a U-Haul van along LeJeune Road near Ridgewood Road, also in Coral Gables.
Detectives said a security guard tipped off authorities, saying there was a possible kidnapping in the area.
The occupants of the van were migrants from China, Ecuador and Brazil, who recently arrived in the U.S. by boat from the Bahamas.
In that incident, three men were arrested and accused of transporting undocumented migrants within the U.S.
According to court documents, it was determined that the individuals were part of an alleged smuggling operation and received payment to transport the migrants.
Authorities said it’s unclear if the two separate instances are connected.
“I can’t definitely say they are connected, but this is one of those things where there is very, very, very similar to what we had two weeks ago,” said Hudak.
All migrants were checked by fire rescue and were deemed to be in good condition.
Police did not provide additional details on those arrested nor on the charges against them.
In a statement, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said in part:
“What we saw today is a perfect example of how the actions of law enforcement are crucial to stopping the human smuggling we so frequently see coming into our state. FDLE and our partners will continue to lead on Governor DeSantis’ initiatives in eradicating these criminal alien threats and stopping these human smugglers.”
The investigation is now in the hands of Homeland Security Investigations.
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