Multimedia Release: Coast Guard, CBP AMO, Border Patrol stop 3 human smuggling attempts, 100 people detained off Florida's coast

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 12/15/2021 04:46 PM EST

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Multimedia Release  

U.S. Coast Guard 7th District Southeast
Contact: 7th District Public Affairs
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Coast Guard, CBP AMO, Border Patrol stop 3 human smuggling attempts, 100 people detained off Florida's coast

A Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale law enforcement crew transfers a person safely from a suspected smuggling vessel to the station's small boat off Pompano, Florida, Dec. 13, 2021. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operation officers detained 28 people of various nationalities at-sea, and one suspected smuggler was transferred to Homeland Security Investigation officers for further investigation. (U.S. Coast Guard video)

                                                       Editor's Note: Click on image to download high-resolution video.

An abandoned vessel on Juno Beach, Florida, Dec. 12, 2021. U.S. Border Patrol officers apprehended 26 people following a maritime smuggling event. (U.S. Border Patrol photo) Don't take to the seas graphic. Make shift vessels are unsafe and unseaworthy, weather can change quickly and you could love your life. (U.S. Coast Guard graphic by PA3 Jose Hernandez)

Editor's Note: Click on images to download high-resolution versions.

MIAMI — Coast Guard, U.S Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations and U.S. Border Patrol officers stopped three human smuggling attempts and detained 100 people between Sunday and Tuesday.

Coast Guard and CBP AMO officers detained 43 people at sea, and one suspected smuggler was transferred to Homeland Security Investigation officers for further investigation, Sunday, off Jupiter's coast. Additionally, 26 people were apprehended by Border Patrol officers after a maritime smuggling event landed in the vicinity of Ocean Blvd. 

Coast Guard and CBP AMO officers detained 28 people of various nationalities at sea, and the case is under investigation by Homeland Security Investigation officers, Tuesday, off Pompano's coast. 

Additionally, two landings happened off Pompano Beach, Sunday and Tuesday, and approximately 26 people were not apprehended. 

"Human smuggling is dangerous and illegal," said Commander of Coast Guard Seventh District and Director of Homeland Security Task Force-Southeast Rear Adm. Brendan McPherson. "Smugglers exploit vulnerable people for profit with no regard for their safety. We work hard, along with our dedicated local law enforcement and fellow DHS partners, to protect all lives on and offshore." 

“Air and Marine Operations has the duty to patrol the waters around the Florida Straits, and along with our partners, we work every day to defeat the efforts of smugglers who have little regard for the human suffering they cause," said Gerald Burgess, spokesman for Air and Marine Operations, Southeast Region. "Together with DHS partners, we work to keep the waters safe and secure." 

“The U.S. Border Patrol in the Miami Sector is committed to supporting the mission of CBP in disrupting transnational criminal organizations that attempt to smuggle migrants or narcotics into Florida," said U.S. Border Patrol and Deputy Director of Homeland Security Task Force-Southeast Chief Patrol Agent Thomas Martin. 

Those intercepted at sea are transferred or repatriated to their country of origin. 

Homeland Security Task Force-Southeast is a standing task force that provides the organizational framework to detect a mass migration event or other contingency operation, facilitate the assignment of roles to participating agencies, and establishes processes for intra-departmental and inter-departmental collaboration. Partners within HSTF-SE routinely conduct a broad range of readiness activities, including periodic surge operations and exercises. 

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-USCG-