Two arrested in attempted human smuggling venture

 

 

Two men were arrested Monday at a Marathon boat ramp for attempting to travel to Cuba and return with migrants.

 

Victor Manuel Rios Castillo, 29, of West Palm Beach, Florida, was charged with attempted human smuggling.

 

Jorge Luis Fernandez Rodriguez, 53, of Tampa, Florida, was charged with transporting fuel illegally.

 

The Sheriff’s Office received a report at approximately 4:48 p.m. of a truck towing a boat blocking southbound traffic near Mile Marker 56. Deputies found the truck and trailer at the nearby Quay Boat Ramp. The trailer had a flat tire and a damaged rim. The cabin-style cruiser had three 55-gallon drums of fuel on board as well as a fuel transfer pump, satellite phone, a GPS with waypoints to Cuba, multiple gallons of marine oil, a large amount of water and soft drinks and numerous life jackets.

 

Rios Castillo admitted he was en route to Cuba for the purposes of human smuggling. Fernandez Rodriguez admitted he was aware of the fuel drums in the vessel he was towing.

 

The U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations also responded to the scene.