The investigation showed that their speedboat had a frequent route to the Island recorded in its GPS
14ymedio, Havana, 1 November 1, 2024 — The authorities of Monroe County, Florida, obtained arrest warrants against Oscar Alfredo Bustamante Semeren, 29, and Alejandro Gauche Valdez, 35, for the illegal transfer of Cubans who were taken from the Island in speedboats to bring them to the United States. The crime, for which a fine of $60,000 was imposed on each of them, is added to others related to firearms and theft of vehicles, for which they had already been imprisoned in Miami.
The arrests of Bustamante and Gauche by Monroe County will proceed after the authorities of Miami-Dade County release the traffickers, who were intercepted by the Coast Guard on July 5, 2024, in the Cotton Key area, in the vicinity of Islamorada, for “numerous security violations.”
The investigation revealed that the boat’s GPS showed an “active route” to Cuba, and Bustamante ended up confessing that he was going to the Island with his accomplice to pick up Cubans. The authorities, however, did not mention where in Cuba they traveled or how much they charged for each person they transferred.
The crime, for which a fine of 60,000 dollars was imposed on each of them, is added to others related to firearms and vehicle theft
Despite the coyote’s confession and the evidence obtained, the United States Attorney’s office refused to prosecute the detainees. But the case was taken up by Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Joel Slough, who, in collaboration with the Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, initiated a migrant trafficking case against Bustamante and Gauche.
“We will continue to take a firm stance on the crime, even when the United States Attorney’s office does not do its job,” said Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay, who accused the agency of “not being willing to pursue criminals who traffic in humans.” “These criminals continue to wreak havoc on our community and other communities,” he added.
According to data from the United States Attorney’s Office, between October 2023 and 2024, more than 75 people related to migrant trafficking were prosecuted. This includes 25 coyotes and more than 50 immigrants who tried to enter illegally by sea.
Last August, Sheriff Rick Ramsay obtained enough evidence to prosecute a sophisticated gang of Cubans who were trafficking migrants by land and sea. Dianelys Pérez Escourido, Omar Liván Ripoll Pérez, Humberto Tamayo, Víctor Víctor Febles Gualpa and Joel Gil Egued are now detained in the Key West jail.
The investigations also revealed that Oscar Alfredo Bustamante Semeren belonged to the Venezuelan “Tren De Aragua” gang
Coyotes charged migrants different sums for transferring them to Florida depending on their nationality. Ecuadorians, for example, were asked to pay $4,000 to leave their country, another $3,000 for the Bahamas crossing and $1,000 for the driver of the vehicle that would transfer them when they reached land in the United States. Another 12,000 dollars had to be paid to reach the final destination: New York or New Jersey.
The investigations carried out in Monroe also revealed that Oscar Alfredo Bustamante Semeren, in addition to being a coyote, belonged to the Venezuelan gang, “Tren De Aragua,” which according to Telemundo, has about 4,000 members and is active in 15 US states.
The Colombian newspaper El Tiempo pointed out that among the crimes committed by this criminal group are the murder of a former police officer in South Florida, an attack against police officers in New York, the seizure of an apartment condominium in Colorado and an attack and robbery in a well-to-do area in Texas.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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